Magus Symphonia III: Ira Praeceps
by RmBm
Summary: Their summer over, the quartet reunite once more at Hogwarts with better skills and stronger friendships. Hermione concocts a musical plan that will revolutionize Hogwarts's teaching with the help of her friends. Will they succeed in their ambitious projects while ominous machinations prepare to destroy them from the shadows? Hermione-centric, inspired by Shigatsu Wa Kimi no Uso.
1. Chapter 1

"Let's start a music club!"

"Wh-what?"

When Daphne finally saw Hermione after her arduous summer filled with training, she expected the brunette to tell her 'Daphne I missed you!' or 'Gosh it's been so boring without you.' in that cute cheerful tone of hers with her usual warm and comforting embrace determined to convey all the warmth the ice princess herself gave out effortlessly to her loved ones.

So starting a music club wasn't exactly what she expected to hear from the unusually fired up brunette.

"Wh-where did that come from, Hermione?" She tried to mask her confusion, amusement and slight disappointment with a lopsided grin that never failed to betray her cool appearance.

"Well, remember I told you about seeing and fleeing from my f-father?"

"Right… that guy… you said you fixed matters with him?"

"Better than before, surely, but… it's a work in progress." She uttered her words hesitantly, clearing her throat uncomfortably as she looked away for a brief moment before looking back up at her friend with an awkward grin.

Daphne frowned at the brunette who was about to change the subject, or resume the original topic to be more exact, when she pinched and pulled Hermione's cheeks, surprising her as she stuttered.

"D-deaph shtopp ithh!"

"Not until you stop faking that smile! If you don't like the idiot just say it! He doesn't owe you shit!"

"L-languaage" She tried to pry the stern but smirking blonde's arms away from her face, but found they wouldn't budge- wow she had pretty toned tan arms. She's definitely been training hard in the summer like her! It made her feel bad for hiding things from her best friend, but that doesn't mean she gets a free 'tease Hermione' card. In any case, two can play at that game!

"Please don't mimic Cho."

"Wwet Goww!" She grit her teeth and stood on her tip toes pinching and stretching out Daphne's cheeks too, much to the blonde's guffawing and amused chuckle.

"Youw Lwittle Squirwt! Wet gow!"

"Youw firwst!" Hermione only frowned more at the Slytherin, unrelenting. Unfortunately for her, said Slytherin was just as bull headed as the little Gryffindor.

Approaching from the distance, Harry and Cho stopped at the sound of the two silhouettes bickering from outside the train compartment, Harry hesitantly approaching, and looking back at Cho with a question mark written all over his face.

"Don't bother… they're both being idiots again…" Not one minute back at Hogwarts- no not even at the castle, but on the bloody train!- and those two were already fooling around. Cho shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in hopes of preventing the oncoming headache, and was surprised when she felt two cool, calloused hands rubbing her shoulders.

She opened her eyes to look into emerald eyes tilting down to look into her onyx ones with a gentle smile.

"You should wait a day or two before getting riled up." She sighed with a small smile, unable to stay made when Harry was smiling at her like that; she really couldn't stand letting him down- she wrote it off as her protective instinct acting up- so she rolled her eyes with amusement.

"Those two will be the death of me, but alright. We better break it up before their cheeks permanently stay red." In the midst of their small conversation, they hadn't realized the two girls were laughing and groaning at the same time, as the act of smiling hurt their poor tomato red cheeks.

"At least now we match." Daphne winked playfully at Hermione who merely stuck her tongue out at her best friend before taking a deep breath.

"So as I was saying, I had this idea after running awa- Harry! Cho!" She lunged at the two students who just slid the door open with stars shining in her eyes, her smile bright enough to rival the sun.

The two enveloped her with welcoming arms, laughing and returning her eagerness.

'Why didn't she greet me like that…?' Daphne's paper white visage froze in a small smile, comically tearing up as she stood a few steps away from the warm three way embrace, frozen in place like a marble slab of stone, arms glued to her side and looking like someone cast a petrificus totalus on her.

… until Hermione grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her into the group hug, squeezing her shoulders affectionately.

"Of course I missed you too, you drama queen."

"Whatever you say Gryffindork…" Daphne grinned and squeezed the brunette's waist when the latter scoffed and giggled into the taller girl's shoulder, before the Greengrass heir used her other arm to hug Cho and Harry closer, amused and more than a little smug that she was now the tallest out of the bunch.

Even with all the healing potions, Harry's natural height hadn't kicked in yet… or his parents just weren't as tall as everyone thought they were.

"Let's cast a privacy charm to talk about this sudden epiphany you got."

"You make it sound like I'm crazy…"

"Aren't you?"

"Daphne!"

* * *

"So you want to start some sort of program, like a conservatory at Hogwarts?" Cho rehashed what Hermione had gone over and was rewarded with frantic nodding from her small friend.

"There could be so many people that play instruments, that have the potential to amplify their minds and their magic, and we can't leave them practicing in isolation if they don't want to."

"As long as you don't drag them into it or anything." Daphne joked, nudging Hermione's shoulder, and the teen turned serious at the statement.

"Trust me. The last thing I'll ever do is force anyone into playing." Hermione said this with a solemn conviction, looking ahead, pointedly avoiding Daphne's inquisitive eyes. She knew the blonde would easily read her newly surfaced thoughts and memories.

Harry caught her gaze though and smiled sympathetically before speaking up.

"This could also be a great chance to teach others instruments we play."

"That's a great idea! But I think first we should track down all the different musicians to see what instruments we can actually teach. And to see what kinds of different bands we can form."

"Track down? This isn't a hunt…" Harry butt in with a nervous smile.

"Says you. I'm gonna catch them all! Starting with you~" Her voice took a playful lilt as she grabbed the brunette taken by surprise beside her before hugging her waist and nuzzling her soft bushy hair with her cheek with a coy grin, giggling as the embarrassed Gryffindor tried to wriggle out of her grip with a whine.

"Daphneeee, come on…"

"Not letting go until you say the magic words…" She elongated 'words' with a highly amused voice, clearly grinning wider than a Cheshire cat even though Hermione couldn't turn to see.

Damn her tall and lean constitution.

"Quit fooling around, damn it!"

Hermione's savior came in the form of a Quibbler magazine pelted by a miffed Cho straight at Daphne's forehead who ended up falling sideways on the couch with Hermione still in her arms, but loosening them enough that the brunette plopped onto the floor and rolled away and onto her back, panting, and aiming a small glare at the blonde too amused to pull off a sheepish or apologetic expression.

She smiled softly at the brunette as she got up, turning to mockingly bow at Cho with a drawled apology before turning back to the brunette staring up at her with a small smile, unable to stay made at the laid back Slytherin for long, and accepted the extended hand.

"Wow, and you almost managed to last a whole day without pissing Cho off, Daph. Better luck next time!" Harry quipped, erasing the number of days Cho was calm from a small black board and chalk he conjured up with a silent wave of his wand before willing it away with another wave, very satisfied with himself. Hermione gave a thumbs up and a pat on his head for the great casting, while Cho and Daphne spluttered, glaring at the two and at each other simultaneously, somehow.

A sudden knock at the door and its subsequent sliding open brought them out of their musings as they were accosted with a sea of red: that is to say, red haired troublemakers and siblings, charging at the 4 terribly underprepared students.

"Charge!"

"I'm too young to die!"

"Stop being so dramatic you snake and let me hug you before I regret it."

"Whatever weasel, I'm only getting along because it makes Hermione and Harry happy."

"That's supposed to be my line…" Both their expressions darkened, noses wrinkling at the prospect of even touching.

Daphne and Ron reluctantly hugged each other, Ron mimicking a puking motion, while Daphne shook in suppressed rage. It wasn't clear whether they were repulsed from each other or were trying to literally squeeze the life out of each other..

"I think that's the most hateful hug I've seen so far."

"It's impressive how fast Daphne turned from heater to icebox just by touching Ron."

"Yeah, Ron would usually blush when he's hugging cute girls, but near Daphne he's as pale as snow…" Ginny added coyly while hugging Hermione tightly.

"You're calling me ugly, you twerp?"

"Now she's mad, you better run Ginny…" Hermione, who Ginny was hugging tightly, spoke with slight worry for the redhead who only hugged her tighter, and blowing the blonde a raspberry, if Hermione heard right.

"So what is I did? I have Hermione hostage, so you can't do anything."

"Not again…" Hermione muttered, struggling but unable to loosen the slightly taller red head's grip. This was ridiculous; why was everyone so strong? Did the fruits of her strength training rot away already?

She yelped in surprise when two sets of arms hoisted her, before being handed to yet another set, barely grasping the newest captor's neck before she ended up hugging the floor again.

"We have Granger, We have Granger!" The twins raucously cheered while Ron laughed, nearly as surprised and embarrassed as Hermione to be carrying her, right before the 4 red heads ran out of the compartment, leaving the rest of the quartet outrage.

"They did not just steal our violinist!"

"After them!" Harry uncharacteristically yelled, raising his fist high in the sky and practically leaping out from the couch with a burst of energy, laughing all the way as Cho followed right after and Daphne took the tail, seething at the sheer gall of the two idiotic twins. Stupid Gryffindors!

They were halfway across the hallway when Ginny noticed Luna conversing pleasantly with Padma, Parvati and Lavender with an issue of the Quibbler in her hand and happily showing her radish earrings to the confused but curious blonde gossip loving Gryffindor.

The red head grinned toothily, zooming right beside the whimsical Ravenclaw and successfully hooking her arm before whisking her away in their group sprint with a surprised gasp from the latter, leaving behind a cloud of dust and three disgruntled students

"Hey, I wasn't done talking to her, Ginny!"

"It's cool Luna has so many friends outside Ravenclaw." Padma commented with a small grin, before opening her rare book on manipulating magic through sound she was given by her proud Grandmother during her and Parvati's vacation visiting their relatives in different parts of India.

"If only I can play an instrument…" She muttered wistfully, watching Parvati laugh at the look of outrage on Lavender's face before consoling her with a pat on the back and telling to just catch up to Luna at Hogwarts.

Going back to the Ravenclaw, it only took her a few moments of looking back and forth at the gleeful faces of Ginny's lovable siblings and the mortified Hermione being carried bridal style by Ronald to piece their newest misadventure.

"I take it we're kidnapping Hermione?"

"Quite right you are, dearest best friend."

"You know Daphne's going to kill you." She smirked at the smug look Ginny wore while puffing out her chest.

"I'd like to see her try-" She didn't even finish her sentence when she heard a loud thud and pained squeal, followed by a few swears as Daphne's shoe connected with the back of Ron's head, making him drop Hermione who barely managed to cast leviosa at the ground to float herself, watching as the shoe flew back like a boomerang to hit Fred and George and finally come at a terrified Ginny who resorted to running behind Luna, hoping she'd escape. And just when she thought she did, she painfully felt another shoe pelt the back of her head with enough force to send her lurching into Luna and topple both of them to the ground to join the heap of limbs and groans comprised of the twins lying on top of one squished Ronald Weasely.

"You seem to have forgotten I have two feet, Pumpkin head." The blonde Slytherin smirked as she stood above the disgruntled red head, looking down at her as she smugly caught her two shoes that flew back at her, having long since pocketed her wand she used to cast the tricky spell that was a combination of Wingardium Leviosa and anchoring spell with her as the final receiver.

"Well played Daph." Harry took the moment to playfully pat the blonde's back before heading to help up the tangled lot- after having a small laughing fit and posing besides the human pile with Daphne and dragging in Cho so Hermione could take a picture.

Just as the flash went off, a compartment door slid open, revealing a thoroughly miffed Pansy who surprisingly wasn't flanked by Draco.

Though Crabbe and Goyle were inside playing exploding snap as soon as the snappy Slytherin turned her back to scold the miscreant bothering her beauty sleep.

"What the hell do you barn animals think you're doing? It's not even noon and you're making all this ruckus and- Why are you just lying there? Daphne did you finally kill them?"

"Well I did pelt them with my shoes. Hermione and Harry wouldn't like it if I murdered their housemates, and Cho definitely won't let me hear the end of it if I did." She dramatically sighed with a hand on her brow, grinning back at her scoffing housemate.

"That's fair enough. I'd spare them too if it meant sparing me from a whiny Ravenclaw's endless squawking. She shot at the outraged Cho, whose hair puffed up like an upset crow's feathers.

Although before she got to reply, or throw her meanest glare at the flippant young Slytherin with maybe a Tantallegra spell she'd discreetly fire with the wand hidden within the folds of her robes, the train lurched to an abrupt stop, violently throwing many roaming the hallways off balance.

Fortunately for those on the ground, they were spared from students barreling into them like cannons, but Hermione who had just gotten off and dusted herself off, was bowled over by a surprised and flailing Daphne, who avoided completely squishing her poor friend with her quick reflexes and landing on her knees and elbows, staring down at the Gryffindor who mirrored her looks of equal parts confusion and concern.

"Wh-why did the train stop…? That's never happened before…" Neville, who just came out of a compartment shared with Seamus and Dean, remarked, fearfully clutching his pet toad Trevor he luckily hadn't lost- too many times- this time, thanks to the handy point me spell Hermione showed him.

His worried inquiry was followed by further mutterings in many of the compartments, while the hallway's occupants remained suspiciously silent.

"Is everyone okay?" Cho asked, helping Harry and Ron up while the twins hoisted each other and then a dazed Ginerva up, followed by Luna who frowned instead of the small peaceful smile she usually donned.

"Hey Luna, what's wrong?" Ginny uncertainly placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, voice uncharacteristically soft. She was taken back with the small fog coming out of her mouth when she spoke.

"All the wrackspurts on the train fled from the train… I don't like this feeling." Luna muttered crossly, crossing her arms and placing one hand on her wand just in case, many others on the train mirroring her primal instinct.

"Hey, why is it getting dark?"

"Is it cold or is it just me?"

"Let's do a group hug"

"Where's your wand?"

"I'm feeling sleepy…"

All around them, as Hermione and Luna heard more and more of the cross comments, whispers, mumbles and yells, they saw everyone's aura, even those from across the pale yellow compartment's screens, and even each other's, become shakier, and bluer. Panic and sadness? What gives?

"Hermione, you're shivering…" Daphne stared down at her alertly wide eyed and trembling friend, with her own torn between a fight, flight or freeze reaction. Still lying on top of her with elbows and knees rooted onto the chilly carpet floor, she felt a weight settle on her back, too heavy to muster the strength to roll over.

"Hey, calm down, what's wrong?"

"I-I d-don't know, b-but it's cold…" Hermione couldn't afford to wrap her arms around herself, for she had one hand tightly grasping her arm and the other ready to cast wandlessly if need be- it was more through her mind, but waving her hands helped her concentrate her magic.

"Cold? If you say so… but I definitely feel something ominous…" Daphne grunted, looking sideways at Harry, Cho and Ron trying to help each other off the floor Daphne swore was covered with frost, wands in Harry's and Cho's palms, at the ready to fight away this invisible danger.

Except, it wasn't invisible anymore. Not after the temperature drastically dropped once again, welcoming a small flock of dark cloaked individuals floating through the air like gossamer cloth.

What made many of the students gasp, shriek and faint right away was the sight of bony arms and dark gaping holes under the tent like tattered hood and ripped cloths- truly the stuff of nightmares.

Unfortunately for the rest, they could do nothing but stare in transfixed horror as they skimmed through the compartments, almost sucking their body heats like a vacuum cleaner, until they zoned in on the quartet of all people. Specifically Harry, much to the terrified boy's luck as he hurriedly fumbled with his wand while trying to shield Ron and Cho with the other hand.

Even when he was scared out of his wits, his considerate nature never failed to shine through. But seeing the boy who lived break into a cold sweat made the rest shiver and begin to despair as well.

"H-harry…"

'Damn it Hermione… fight it with fire!' She chided herself for not considering the element she seemed to have an affinity for and with all her fear, set her arms on fire, trying to focus the flames into the palms of her hands to blast at these creatures of darkness. They turned to the brunette, successfully distracted, but now dunking the two girls in boiling- or in this case freezing- water.

Unfortunately, the closer they got, the more frantic the brunette became and lost control of her flames, the element extinguishing almost as fast as the brunette's common sense, brain too busy being bombarded with images she thought she had locked away or dealt with.

"Hermione! Damn it…" She hissed, staring up at the approaching figures and snarling at them, trying to shield the brunette as best as she could with her body, frantically thinking up any spell she could cast to ward these things away.

When one of them got too close to her liking, her body reacted automatically, mind shutting down temporarily as her hand shot out and fired a jet of water that froze on contact with the dark being, and taking it by surprise. Of course, it wasn't enough for the Slytherin backed heavily by adrenalin, as she kept on going until there was a wall of ice separating them from the rest of the monsters.

Unfortunately, it was too early for those conscious to celebrate, as one of them had stuck to Harry, grasping his thin shoulders with its long bony fingers and almost looking like it was sucking at a vapor that was his dissolving face, a face slowly turning to sand, a face too shocked to react, despite the body flailing as if it was electrocuted.

"H-harry!"

"Expecto Patronum!" Their saving grace came when a voice behind them confidently yelled out a spell accompanied by a powerful burst of light that ripped through the atmosphere out of nowhere and drove away the cloaked spirits that struggled but failed to overcome this dazzling, hope filling energy.

Soon enough, they were gone and had long since flown away from the train, the lights coming back on with their ice and Daphne's dissolving into meager puddles of water. Still, no one dared to lift a finger, and it was still dark for many. At least on the inside.

It was only Remus Lupin who stood tall and stern, wand long since sheathed as he and calmed down the students, re-enervated many, and tended to those in the hallway.

"Eat these children, you'll better." His gaze lasted longer than normal on Harry, who was oddly despondent after being awoken by a frantic but faint pulsed Cho. Said girl hesitantly grabbed the tablet and nibbled at it, looking back up at the professor, a grateful glint in her eyes and immensely thankful words on the tip of her tongue

"Thank you so much! Is that chocolate…?"

"Indeed, it is. Please stay with Harry while I tend to others." She could only nod as she watched him head toward the only two girls still lying on the floor, and it was clear why.

Hermione wrapped around Daphne with all her limbs and all her might, burrowing her head in the latter's shoulder and shaking like a leaf. Daphne herself wasn't doing much better, but hugging Hermione almost as tightly helped ground her. She did stare surprised at her hand though, still in disbelief of what just happened.

Maybe that hug Daphne and Ron shared may have made hell freeze over.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why hasn't Harry woken up yet?" Cho looked up to the professor, occasionally running her hand through the feathery raven colored hair on the boy's head that rested on her lap.

"I'm afraid he suffered quite the shock from that Dementor. They did nearly try to suck out his soul, after all. Are you two close?"

"Definitely, us two, along with Daphne and Hermione. We've formed a friendship based on music since the first year, thanks to Hermione. She sort of brought us together first."

"Music you say? How interesting! And what instrument do you play, Miss Chang?" Despite the excitement evident in his voice and by the curious gleam in his eyes, his voice remained gentle, considerate in not startling the compartment's occupants.

"The cello. Harry plays the piano beautifully, Hermione's a violin prodigy, and Daphne's a whiz on the viola."

"Quite the quartet you have there… I wish I could've learned a good instrument (which one?). If not for its beautiful melody, then at least for the advantages it provides in amplifying and focusing one's magical aura."

"Do you know about that? My friends and I, we were thinking of expanding the use of the music room to others and making music lessons and practices part of the Hogwarts curriculum. Do you think it's possible?"

"That's quite ambitious of you four… there's a lot of work to be done for it, but it really would benefit the students in the rest of their classes, I suppose…"

"We're prepared to work for it- especially Hermione; she came up with the idea so enthusiastically, I'd hate to see such an idea swept away, to be honest." She looked outside the compartment and into the one next to her, where the brunette was practically wrapped around the blonde, still trembling, though at least less than before, while surrounded by subdued but fiercely supportive Ginny and ever helpful Luna, and the comical forever upbeat twins who seemed to be gesturing and telling a story hilarious enough to make Daphne shake in laughter and even make the pale crack a small smile. Though perhaps the smile was more at seeing Ginny on the floor dissolved in spams of laughter.

"As soon as she calms down…" Lupin added, also looking in the same direction as Cho with a worried tone.

"She will, soon." Cho affirmed with a smile of her own. All that was missing to the bunch was Harry, who would have been trying but failing to hold in his own laughter before joining Ginny. He always was easy to humor. Unlike the ridiculously dense brunette. Maybe she could try some puns she found in a jokeboke on him when he woke up. He'd definitely cheer up then.

"How about this. If you four present me with a valid plan for the academic year by the end of November, I'll discuss it with Dumbledore and the rest of professor and see what we could do about it."

"R-really? That's fantastic! Thank you so much!" Cho did a little jump of surprise in her seat, and would've already jumped off had Harry not been resting on her.

She smiled softly at the boy's cute slumbering face, looking back up to revel in the comfortable silence between her and the school's new Defense Professor she hoped would stick around for once. If she focused, she could faintly hear the sound of Harry's faint snoring as a healthy rose revisited his cheeks, his aura settling around him protectively, comforting both him and Cho.

She smiled softly, looking out into the endless fields of green they zoomed past and felt stupidly optimistic despite their near brush with death.

Someone needed to be, considering Harry was out cold.

* * *

Harry and the girls were rubbing off on her too much.

"Frankly, I'm glad they don't inspect your luggage. It would be difficult to explain what Gryffindor's sword is doing in my bag."

"Same with me. Hiding a katana, bow and set of arrows isn't exactly ideal, and I don't even know how you hid that scythe! It's twice as big as you, and last time I checked, only one of you would fit in your luggage anyway." Cho smirked with her hands on her hips, Hermione narrowing her eyes at the Ravenclaw before taking out a tiny scythe from her pocket before enlarging it and skillfully flipping it around.

"I'm particularly fond of shrinking spells." She quipped back, Cho conceding with a small embarrassed blush.

"What about Daphne? Why isn't she here yet?" Harry pouted. He always admired Daphne's weapons for how cool they were. Sleek and lean. He'd love to try it if Daphne let him- maybe if he let her use his sword. The destruction she'd cause with that sword though… Harry shivered, suddenly unsure of his idea, while Hermione thought it was from the cold and wrapped her scarf around his neck, satisfied with her handiwork and patting the tuft of black hair visible. He looked in wide eyed surprise at the brunette, the rest of his face already covered, while Cho shook with laughter, snorting at the satisfied look on Hermione's face.

Those two were so obliviously cute it was physically impossible to watch without trying to hug them. She was confused by the strange uncomfortable pang in her chest that made her feel a bit colder than usual, wishing for a fleeting moment she could've been in Hermione's place. She shook away the thought, physically shaking her head while she was at it, until the doors slammed open to reveal the one and only toothily grinning cheeky Slytherin they all knew and loved- even though she endlessly exasperated her.

"Yo!"

"Don't yo me! You're late!"

"I didn't know we had a deadline your eminence." The blonde mock bowed lowly at the waist with a flourish of her hand, resulting in Harry and Hermione snickering behind the miffed Ravenclaw's back.

"Nevermind… I have something important to tell you." After sighing, her tone turned serious once more, the rest following her lead and taking on any of the couches- with the same texture as those in Dean's home thanks to Hermione's acute memory- in their transformed room of requirements and at the moment pseudo music room.

"While Hermione and Harry were… erm, recovering, I sat with Professor Lupin, and while talking to him- he's our new defense professor by the way- I proposed to him the music conservatory or band we were planning to form within Hogwarts. He liked the idea, since practicing music will amplify the learners' magic, but he told us he'll only take us seriously if we give him a solid plan by mid-November. I also suggest we ask around students to know what instruments we can already work with and who wants to learn- I doubt they'll make it an obligatory course from the get go."

She breathed out, satisfied with her proposition and the gradually impressed faces of her friends.

"So… what do you think?" Cho looked wide eyed at her three friends, slightly winded but grinning hopefully.

Daphne and Harry looked and nodded at each other, then at Hermione, and then at Cho, before everyone looked back expectantly at the little Gryffindor sitting in between Harry and Daphne.

"It looks like we have our work cut out for us. Where do we start?"

The four cheered, and lunged for a group hug, right before a set of butter beers appeared before them and they stopped cheering, looking down at the four drinks surprised, especially Harry, who began to laugh and cheer again, making the girls quirk their eyebrows at him.

"I was thinking this would be the perfect toast over butterbeer, but I didin't expect it to just appear out of nowhere! This is amazing!"

"Wait you've had butterbeer? Is it alcoholic?"

"Harry you're underage!"

"You sneak- when did you get your first drink? And without inviting me either!"

The three overwhelmed the raven haired teen who smirked suavely, like he was the one hiding the secrets, for the first time of his life, and that surprised the three more than him drinking alcohol.

Cho and Hermione blushed faintly, while Daphne smiled widely, hooking an arm around the gangly teen and exclaimed while ruffling his hair.

"You cheeky little sneak- you're finally growing up and learning the true ways of a Slytherin; this definitely deserves a toast more than anything else!" With her free arm, Daphne swiped a mug frothing with the cool beverage and was ready to swipe it, before it disappeared into thin air, along with the other three mugs.

"No drinking! We have school tomorrow, honestly!"

"Cho you killjoy…" Daphne pouted, elbows digging into her knees as Hermione patted her back with a semblance of consolation.

"…How about we have some butterbeer if our music club idea gets approved by the board of Hogwarts teachers?"

"Hermione…n-no... well, I mean… fine. Alright. But only then." She was unable to look away from the Gryffindor girl's heart melting pout and puppy dog eyes, scolding herself for being so weak willed.

"Hermione you adorable miracle worker!"

"Daphne not again!" This time, Harry got involved into the mix, with Cho trying to liberate the poor boy from the death grip.

* * *

"I've been talking to Pansy- which is why I've been coming late sometimes- and Draco's acting pretty secluded, and cold, to everyone but Pansy at this point. The boy's a sucker for the spotlight, so it's weird seeing him away from it like that." Daphne muttered to Cho in between her mouthfuls of mashed potatoes mixed in with gravy that melted in her mouth as both girls sat at the Ravenclaw table with Luna on Daphne's other side, building a mashed potato person by lumping it up and topping it with a mushroom hat and a baby carrot nose, and some dried raisins as buttons.

"Luna are you five?" Padma's eyes narrowed at the structure before looking up at the blonde who hadn't looked up from her plate, working in silence, and wiping away her little food person's face, and using her fork to make them taller, thinner, almost bony thin and looking cloaked before she let it collapse on itself.

"Better to have a mashed potato man than a dementor. Even the mashed potato doesn't like it." She smiled sheepishly avoiding Padma's honey brown eyes that now softened in concern instead of annoyance.

"It's not so bad, Dumbledore promised us they would stick to the outskirts of the castle… Are you still scared?"

"Am I? I'm not quite sure… a little I suppose."

"Me too… it tends to show unpleasant things when you're too near doesn't it?"

"Somewhat." The blonde sighed shakily, grinning self-deprecatingly, bitter she let some flimsy memories get to her. At least she wasn't in tears over it yet. Owling her father will definitely help. He ought to publish an article about it considering the Prophet would never even dare try.

"Well, Cho and I were going to hang out later, would you care to join us?" Padma offered, gently placing her hand on the smaller blonde's shoulder, her kindness not surprising the blonde too much. Even during last year's bullying fiasco, Padma had never laid a hand on her or furthered the bullying, often helping her retrieve some items.

"Sure I'd like that." The two girls grinned at each other, while Cho and Daphne conversed semi comfortably, some tension on Daphne's part as she recalled the brief but horrific images plaguing the dreary boy's head.

While conversing, they were interrupted by the usual influx of white owls that usually carried newspapers from the daily Prophet, and some other personal letters.

Sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Harry and Ron, Hermione was talking with Susan Bones after sitting with her on the Thestral drawn carriages, the two girls getting along famously, especially after she found out the red head played the harp. At the moment, she was probably pitching the idea of forming a music club, while Harry and Ron flicked bits of mashed potatoes at each other, nicking some other outraged Hufflepuffs who had to use their wands and cast cleanup spells. Though when it hit Hermione on the back of the head, the whole table quieted, staring nervously at the brunette whose face was wiped blank of emotions, the flicked food dripping down into her shirt as she froze in her place, Susan looking at the two boys with wide and confused eyes.

Suddenly, the boys swore they saw her turn her head 180 degrees like an owl with death in her eyes, and they both released high pitched screams and yelped before falling out of their benches.

Almost immediately, she dissolved in pearls of laughter, the rest of the house doing the same, and then Justin and Cedric helping the two boys up, meaning no harm and glad to see the two Gryffindors also joining in n the laughter after regaining their bearings.

"Hermione that was brilliant!"

"Just a flexibility spell on the neck. At least you've learned you lesson now, Harry, Ronald? Hufflepuff is kind enough to greet us to their table; let's not bathe them in gravy as thanks." She grinned amusedly at them as they sheepishly looked away, before being drawn into a conversation about Quidditch with Cedric and Oliver Wood who joined the table of yellow after witnessing the friendly air surrounding it.

Unfortunately, the table quieted very suddenly into a hush yet again, as a goblet and noisily clattered to the floor, before stomping followed. This time, it was the Gryffindor table, as it watched Neville clutching the newspaper in a death grip knuckles pale as he half sprinted from the hall and out of sight in a flash.

Dean and Seamus who were sitting beside him still had their heads turned, staring at the doorway where Neville disappeared from.

"What just happened? Is Neville okay?"

"While it could be he's just constipated and flashed like lightning to the bathroom-"

"He wouldn't look as angry and scared as he did just then." The twins interjected, standing beside Ron Harry and Hermione who just walked over after excusing themselves from the Hufflepuff table, also joined by Ginny who was previously trying to get some gossip from Parvati and Lavender.

"Shouldn't we go and help?"

"I believe, it has something to do with today's big news." Percy interjected grimly, placing his own copy of the Prophet on the table for all surrounding Gryffindors without papers to huddle and see, other house students just opening their own editions.

'DEATH EATER BELLATRIX LESTRANGE ESCAPED FROM AZKABAN, PRISONER SIRIUS BLACK ALSO ESCAPED. AN ACCOMPLICE TO LESTRANGE'S CRIME?'

And right below detailed some history about the two escapees, following it up with the first of the manic witch's murder and torture sprees in a village several miles North of Azkaban. That place was where they lost trace of her.

How she managed to escape, much less cast magic, was a mystery that had many speculating, some even muttering of wandless magic- Hermione wouldn't have a hard time believing that, but it's too much for a woman emaciated from magic and nutrition to be able to perform such feats on will power alone, she thought to herself after finishing the article with morbid fascination, swallowing down the urge to retch as the newspaper company had no qualms in featuring the gored victims of this criminal's insanity.

"Neville's parents were tortured into a coma by Bellatrix. That's probably why he's so upset."

"Oh."

Hermione couldn't say much more. None of the other three could. She wondered what kind of parents Neville's mother and father were. His reaction shows they must've truly been amazing and compassionate... still regardless, a child losing parents is a bit of a hard blow, even when they might have been toxic people, she told herself, trying to empathize with the shy boy.

While she wasn't apathetic, her reaction paled to that of Daphne and Cho, who had considerably paled, the Ravenclaw half way to losing her breakfast. Harry was frowning deeply, before looking back at Ron, Ginny and the rest of their siblings who wore somber expressions, finding the floors and ceiling interesting to watch at the moment. Despite knowing it from their Molly and Arthur, it didn't make it any less difficult to accept.

"Let's go get him back! It's dangerous for him to stay out with all these Dementors plaguing the ground."

"The Dementors… that's right… aren't the doors closed though?" Hermione muttered worried after watching Harry exclaim urgently

"Harry wait, he can't get out of the castle, the doors have been closed for our safety."

"Still, who knows where he is right now?"

"Calm down, we'll go and find the lad." The twins chorused interrupting the passionate boy's tirade, ruffling Harry's hair before hurriedly walking out of the halls in sync, taking out a worn piece of parchment Hermione barely caught a glance of before they disappeared to hopefully retrieve the boy.

"Let's just hope he doesn't wander into Slytherin… those gits will never let him live it down." Ron commented crossly, intentionally throwing a glance at Daphne, but the blonde wasn't riled up and maintained her icy exterior, as she was in front of Hogwart's student body.

"Only some of us are that heartless to mock the boy when he's in that state. Even some of your kind would without having a context of his situation." She shot back as quickly as he spoke, words as blunt as a boulder.

"Still, shouldn't we go and make sure he's alright?"

"How do you suppose we find him?"

"A point me spell?"

"But does he want to be found? He's probably pretty mad at the moment."

"Regardless, it's not very safe for him to wander off on his own." Cho interjected gently, understanding where Hermione was coming from, but trying to make her see his case was different than hers.

"…Fine. Do whatever you want. Don't blame me when he's angrier than you saw him last though."

"Hermione…"

"No, Daph, Cho does have a point. You should go with her in case he did stumble upon Slytherins and get him out before it gets nasty." Hermione muttered contritely but resignedly, turning her back away from the frowning girls before the Ravenclaw cast the point me spell and went off with Daphne, hot on the twins' trail.

"Hermione, I'm sure nothing bad will happen."

"Yeah I know, I was being stupid… but I was also more concerned about how we're getting Sirius out of this sticky situation." She changed the subject after scoffing lightly.

"If only Dumbledore let us have his final trial before this year! Why doesn't he do anything?"

"I'm sure he had his reasons, and you know how petty the Wizengamot can be…" Hermione uncertainly came to the headmaster's defense, unwilling to find fault in one of the ridiculously few adults she even remotely had faith in.

"Whatever Hermione. We should get him a trial now, or as soon as possible!"

"Well, how do you suggest we do that? We can't just magic out the evidence from Gringotts out of our arses! It took us weeks of convincing to have professor Flitwick come with!" Hermione hissed, as she pulled Harry to the side at a less crowded spot in the great hall, the boy shrugging off her touch and glaring at her.

"So you just want to sit here and let him be chased down again?"

"Of course not! I really do care about freeing Harry. He is your god father." Hermione's tone softened and she loosely held in hopes he'd see her earnestness, and thankfully his frown lightened. So she saw it safe to continue.

"We'll just convince Flitwick to take us there again-" Once again, his aura bubbled red and he grit his teeth.

"In these conditions!? He's far too busy managing his own students! I have the keys to my vault. I'm going to sneak to Gringotts and get the documents alone if I have to. And you won't stop me!" He grunted with finality and turned on his heel, walking out towards his dorm room, while stomping childishly, ignoring Dean and Seamus inviting him for a game of snap, as they raised their brows at the cold shoulder, before shrugging and talking to each other once again.

In his wake was left behind an equally furious Hermione, whose hair began to frizzle and float, hands dangerously warm and aching to spit out fire, so with a huff she walked outside the great hall with the only destination that just might calm her down, leaving scorch marks the size of her footprints in her wake.

Good thing the floor was marble, or else half the castle would've been set ablaze!

* * *

"I can't believe how childish he is! I was just trying to help!" She yelled and stomped and let out some fire from her hands, too angry to react much to this new anomaly or power, before she breathed out and grabbed her violin from its snug case on top of the couch in the music room and barely played through a scale before bursting into a piece was just right to rid her of her uncontrollable fire: Perpetuum Mobile, a piece designed by Novacek with all the flavors of emotion while its bow speed was so great one line worth of measures could be played in about a second. As difficult as it sounds, it was all about the slow and redundant practice at first.

Hermione was supposed to keep practicing slowly, but didn't give a hoot about that at this moment. All she registered was the tumultuous melody her head churning like the wheels and cogs of a speeding train, driving through rails not lacking at all in dramatic crescendos and decrescendos, well timed position jumps and pattern changes. Anyone listening would believe it to be a sister piece to the famous bumblebee played by many a pianist and violinist.

Luna swallowed hard as she watched the brunette keep on playing despite losing some bow strand and messing up her intonation several time, but somehow still keeping a hold on the melody- if barely- and a hold on the audience with a new emotion she didn't usually project- turbulence and anger.

With the final double stop she played echoing in the room and ringing in Luna's ears, the intruding blonde slowly approached the brunette with a small smile, trying to project some of her calm aura onto the brunette surrounded by a cloud of red.

At the sound of clapping, the panting girl looked up at the younger blonde with fire dangerously flickering in her eyes before it was snuffed out once she recognized Luna.

"Luna… what are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Your scorch marks are like a trail of bread crumbs, Mione. And I was Listening to your newest piece. It looks like you bow hand's improved. A new technique?"

"Thanks… it's all in the wrist movement really."

"Well, your friends would be impressed."

"I doubt Harry would. All he can think about is Sirius- honestly, he thinks he can barge in anywhere and rescue a situation!"

"He only rescues it because you three are there with him- although aren't you originally the trouble seeker?"

"Come off it, Luna. You know I don't mean to… most of the time." She added to appease the blonde raising her eyebrows at her expectantly.

"You know he means well."

"Of course I do! But we can't just barge into a situation and magic it better! Even if we had evidence, how would we manage to get a trial and prove his innocence when both the accused and the true culprit are nowhere to be found?"

"I think my father and I can help with spreading enough news to get a trial made."

"What about the Prophet? As informative as the Quibbler is, it can only do so much compared to the Prophet."

"I for one, know that one of our subscribers is none other than Rita Skeeter- so she could see what the competition, us, is up to. If we publish news of evidence, she'll most probably demand interviews and post news even bigger than ours-"

"And the readers would vote for a trial… Luna that's genius!" Hermione finished, staring at the blonde in surprise. She hadn't expected her to hand her a solution on a silver plate.

"Not that you're not ridiculously smart Luna, but how did you think of this?" Hermione scratched the back of her head with one hand while holding her violin and bow in the other.

"The Nargles told me, of course." Luna chirped, hands behind her back as she grinned proudly, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course, Nargles, what else did I expect?" As she giggled, the tension washed away from her shoulders, pleasing Luna immensely

"So you know what to do now, no?" She could finally ask without risking an eruption from Hermione.

"… What he's doing is reckless!"

"But you still want to follow him don't you?"

"Of course I do! I don't want him to get in trouble on his own… but the stupid boy is too stubborn! I know there's no way I'm letting him do alone. And I probably can't tell Daphne and Cho since they won't let us go, and then they'll get mad. Damn it…" As she jumped from one conclusion to the other, she wished there was a pebble on the floor she could kick in her frustration and a second later found one, much to Luna's amusement.

'Do I really want to get in trouble again…? If only Harry could wait a little- I can't even convince him otherwise…'

"What are you waiting for? Last I saw Harry, he was going to his common room to fetch the cloak." Luna grinned as the brunette huffed and puffed and walked in circles before placing her violin and grumbling all the way out to the Gryffindor common room, hands aching to pinch Harry's cheeks until they bruised red like their foolish house's colors, while Luna watched her disappearing form with tinkling laughter, closing the door once she disappeared and taking out her flute for some practice.

* * *

"Harry I don't think this is a good idea… and you know I'd usually go with what you're doing!"

"Ron, I'll be alright, I have my invisibility cloak, wand, and pouch with me. I know a lot more spells than a third year for Defense, so I'll be alright-"

"But what about the spell to fight against a dementor?"

"W-well… I won't be running into any."

"Where will you sneak out from? There aren't any other floos besides the one in the Headmaster's office…" The more Ron interjected, the more helpless Harry became. There were so many obvious flaws in his plan that Ron had already made a mental list.

'Should I tell him about the secret passages I discovered with Hermione and Daphne?'

"Look, Ron, I have another way, so I'll figure something out… you go to Neville, Cho just messaged me by airplane that they found him at the stargazing tower."

"They did!? He's alright, I hope. I'll see you later Harry, but don't get in any danger." Ron sighed and turned to sprint to his other friend's side, frowning at Harry's stupidly stubborn and solitary streak. He was so proud couldn't even say he had nothing to work with, or he was hiding something from him. Both possibilities saddened and angered him. He felt like he was Harry's best guy mate after all, why doesn't he trust him enough? Did he consider him that insignificant? The insecure thoughts churning in his head nearly made him lose his footing and trip down the spiral set of stairs he was zooming through, so he just shook his head and grunted from the jealously and discomfort tugging at his chest, willing the little green monster away once again.

Now that Harry was alone, he turned around, cloak in one hand and wand in the other, exiting Gryffindor's doorway before he was accosted by a mass of bushy brown hair and authoritative tone, laden with exasperation.

"Stop right there Harry James Potter!"

"Hermione I told you already, nothing you say is going to keep me from proving Sirius's innocence." He stood his ground, no longer glaring petulantly at one of his best friends but staring into her eyes instead, willing the determination and resolve he felt to convince her just how much he wanted to fulfill this crucial mission

"You stubborn pianist… honestly, only you'd risk the impossible for an innocent man you've never even met…" She trailed off, her chocolate brown pools taking in the borderline desperate gleam of his emerald green ones, and understanding the message he was silently sending her. Despite its silence, it was painfully potent and clear.

'I don't want to lose the only bit of family I have left.'

Finally, her glare dissolved and she relaxed, loudly exhaling. The things she does for her family.

"…Let me under that cloak before I regret it…" The carelessly bright, dimpled smile she got from his lit up face afterwards was worth it, even though she refused to admit it.

"Smile as much as you want, it won't be any help in charming the Goblins' socks off." She bluntly stated, despite the smirk slowly stretching her lips as she fell in step with her partner in crime, her pseudo brother who couldn't help but hug her to him before holding her hand and making haste to one of the secret passageways they discovered while goofing off from their training sessions.

"Cho and Daphne will have our heads for this." She warned half-heartedly, only for the boy to shrug away her concerns, far too happy to care about the hell they'll get for this.

"You're the best, Mione." He cheered, bringing the cloak on them both and whisking them away out of sight while Hermione cast additional silencing charms and notice me nots, just to be on the safe side.

Another sigh from the brunette, finally resigned to their infiltration mission.

"You're welcome, Harry."

* * *

Hello fellow Readers!

First of all, thank you for all the favorites, follows and especially reviews you've left me, they're loads encouraging and motivating!

Second, I hope the start of this rocky third settlement made many of you more curious to keep reading on, and if there's anything at all you'd like to comment on, please do.

Now, after this chapter i'll be posting one more before taking an approximate 15 day break starting July 20th since I may be travelling to Croatia at that time. I may also be busy afterwards since i'll be participating in the YES academy orchestra for strings as well, but that's back in my country, so I always appreciate your patience with me :)

I hope you'll enjoy where this story is going, and until next time!

Have a safe day/night,

Ramela


	3. Chapter 3

"It looks like… the invisibility cloak might not be as good as a shield… against Dementors as I thought…" Harry panted as he walked a couple more pace in the dry and cold air surrounding the bridge to Hogsmeade while Hermione crouched at the end of the bridge, dying for some water to parch her throat.

"Y-you… don't… say…" Hermione spat out in between her pants, glaring terribly at the sheepish boy-who-lived.

'More like the boy-who's-about-to-be-dumped-in-a-lake, courtesy of yours truly…' The brunette grumbled internally, though with the thought being at the forefront of her mind, Harry easily heard it and guffawed unsure if he should laugh or stand a good 5 feet away from his best friend.

'Come one Mione! We made it out just fine with my repulsos and protegos and with your spells, and that nifty fireball trick you've been playing around with. Good of you not to burn my hair. Plus, you know if you threw me in the lake, you won't have any access to the vaults…" He giggled nervously, very much unsettled by the fire growing at her fingertips that licked at his robe before retreating. Seeing his face scared enough made Hermione giggle before completely putting it out.

"I could always take your key, but it wouldn't be very fun going on my own. Well then, now for our next obstacle… the goblins." She spoke out loud, sighing as her brain wracked on ways to make it to the other side of the gate separating them from Harry's vault, and guarded by a literal army of war loving creatures- besides humans that is.

"What do you mean? We just go in and ask to be taken to my vault."

"What about an adult to accompany you?"

"I am the only heir to my vault, so I won't need an escort."

"But you're not of age yet, Harry."

"Is that so… Well then my family vault's Goblin keeper can just take us there- don't they count as proper escort?"

"I'm not so sure about that… I guess we'll have to try our luck."

With that, Harry lifted the cloak onto both of them once again as they covertly made their way towards the imposing building that towered over the small town, blissfully ignorant of the fearsome fit Cho and Daphne were throwing back at the castle.

It took them nearly half an hour of dodging giants- or rather average sized wizards and witches who still towered over them- until they finally stumbled upon the imposing bank's entrance, pitch black mahogany doors wide open in welcome. Although the grumpy looking guard Goblins with permanent sneers fixed on their lips certainly didn't. And neither did their particularly pointy spears. What alarmed them was that the guards seemed to have tripled from their last visit, and they seemed none too friendly, barring many a witch or wizard from entering. Strange.

"Now there's no way we can get in…" Harry bemoaned his fate, grasping his plentiful yet sleek tufts of hair in desperation.

"How are we going to get out of this problem now…" Hermione mumbled to herself while biting, ignoring Harry's dramatic collapse before jumping back up and thinking himself into a meltdown while pacing back and forth as much as he could under the cloak- which is to say barely a step. It's a good thing they were invisible or he would've long since gotten everyone's inquisitive eyes on him.

"I'm sure Natsu would've had a solution by now."

"She's too busy hunting down mice and languidly sleeping on my bed- sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve such a lazy familiar…" Hermione sighed, but still unable to be upset at the troublesome fur ball as her tone wasn't tinged with any genuine harm.

"Well, erm, she is a cat…"

"Now is not the time and place for this conversation Harry James Potter. Also I'm offended you'd think the cat would have better ideas than me." She harrumphed and placed her hands at her sides while Harry cringed at the full use of his name.

"Fine, Hermione Jean Granger. What do you suggest we do then? It's not like we can go back to before all this security got in the way- why are you smiling?"

"Because, Harry dear, I think we should do just that." She smirked as she took out the time turner from under her shirt after unbuttoning the first 2 buttons and allowing the golden chain to be visible. While the sphere remained perfectly inanimate, there was something about it, besides it clean gleaming exterior that caused Harry to watch in awe as Hermione tinkered with the device, bewildered that she forgot how practical it was. While she wasn't using it for academic purposes at the moment, she didn't necessarily break any laws, in this dimension.

Yes, that made Hermione feel a bit better about herself.

She looked up to the quiet boy who was all ears as Hermione explained how the time turner worked and what she was about to do, namely twist it about 7 twists to set them back to 6 a.m. in the morning, when the streets would be barren of any soul save for the early birds, and all the drunkards would've been kicked to the curb and crawled back home, probably still hugging that bottle of fire whisky. And of course, most importantly, when the Goblins guarding the gate were hopefully few and inattentive, even if they were protected by the invisibility cloak.

"Oh, and let's make sure we can walk behind someone once we enter, so we can tag onto the carriage with them."

"If you say it will work then I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Harry grinned at her as she slipped the golden chain around his neck before reciprocating the smile, feeling foolishly confident, despite all the ways this hastily constructed plan could go south.

"Here goes nothing…"

They watch everyone zooming backwards as Hermione hit the rewind button on life before their very eyes, a feat that never ceased to amaze Hermione, a very regular user of the time turner herself, and as for Harry- well he was floored. It took him a minute or two to pick up his jaw off the floor and manage an awed grin, before a nudge from Hermione reminded him to move and start pacing behind a secretive but regal looking blond haired woman wearing a black floor length dress and matching black hat.

"Let's hope she's in there to go down to her vaults.

"If she's not, we'll enchant her to-"

"Wha- Hermione that wasn't part of the plan!" He hissed in panic, shutting up when they hurriedly and silently floated by the guards before looking back panicked at the brunette walking closely behind him.

'How else do you expect us to get in…' She mentally grumbled, uncomfortable with the plan herself, but unwilling to leave things half assed. Harry wanted those documents, well they were going to get them, even if she had to act a little grey.

'We're not charming her to jump off the rails, honestly… She entered on her own anyway, let's get on before the gate closes…' She whispered again, tugging him into the carriage as silently as possibly while staying as far away from the lady as they could. It was strange she could ride it without the supervision of a goblin. Perhaps she had privileges?

The closer she looked at the woman, the more familiar she looked. Smoky eyes and dark red ruby lipstick painting stoic, slightly downturned lips with just enough blush to highlight her cheekbones and add to her intimidating light blue to stilted grey aura that projected boredom, but suddenly began to bubble a shaky orange and faint green, her eyes subtly shifting left and right, making sure to keep her hands on the levers and not lose control of the carriage.

Turning away from the blonde haired woman for a moment, she mentally spoke to Harry who had been staring at the surrounding rock formations in the endless dimly lit cave.

'Harry, do you remember where the vault is?'

'I recall it's about 5 vaults to the right of the dragon arena.'

'Oh… I think we're here then, let's jump?'

'What!? Hermione how-'

'I can cast a leviosa on us and float us down slowly… Harry, I think she's looking right at us…?' Both young teens looked at the woman's back as she turned away, and then looking at each other and nodding it was best to get out as soon as possible.

That is, until the carriage screeched to a sudden stop and caused them both to lurch forward and ram into the steel of the metal trolley inside with a yelp, the cloak lifting to reveal half their bodies.

'Harry duck!' Hermione who recovered from the blow first thanks to a cushioning charm she cast in time after watching the lady's suspicious movements and quickly cast a protego against the stunning spell the woman silently cast, sneering at the two lying at the corner of the carriage.

"W-wait- we don't mean any harm!" Hermione hastily lifted away the cloak from them and lowered her wand, keeping one hand up- the woman thought to show surrender, but in reality, to keep a strong wandless protego up, in case she decided to try anything else.

"I'm being tailed by children? And Gryffindor Hogwarts students to boot?" Her velvet voice laden with suspicion and disdain sent shivers down their spine, but underneath it, Hermione spotted exhaustion. This witch was at the end of her rope, but she hid it expertly well.

"M-madam, erm, we were just trying to get to my vault, but we were afraid the Goblins wouldn't let us in without an adult." Harry spoke up timidly, hoping his hair hiding his scar and holding his glasses behind his back would be enough to mask his identity as the boy who lived.

The woman quirked an eyebrow as she looked down at the two unimpressed.

"You're not lying, but it will take more than hiding away your glasses to hide in plain sight. Harry Potter."

The boy flinched and looked away before the woman continued with a smug and highly amused tone.

"And you must be Hermione Granger. Draco's told me all about you. To think Hogwarts would have prodigy muggleborn and half-blood musicians…"

'D-draco?'

'Oh Merlin no wonder she's familiar- it's Narcissa Black-Malfoy!' If the two were scared before at this point they were prepared to piss their pants.

'Any chance of obliviating her?'

'Unfortunately I haven't learned that spell yet…'

The both gulped, standing frozen before the blonde who placed one hand on her hip.

"Merlin, you can relax, I won't hex you. You're just a couple of kids."

'Kids who have no idea what I'm doing here, and it better stay that way unless they want me to obliviate them.' Her stern visage returned once more and Harry nearly eeped at the thought that popped at the fore front of the woman's mind, though Hermione quickly glanced at him with warning in her eyes not to let the woman know about their legilimency and to keep their occlumency shields up.

"Well, erm yes, we'll be out of your hair now, thank you for not attacking us again Mrs. Malfoy-"

"Now, now there's plenty of time to chat;" once again, she loosely pointed her wand at the two who froze up and held back a grin at how easily children were frightened these days. "What is so important that you had to go behind the all mighty Dumbledore's back?" While the wand pointing at them did put Hermione at guard, she wasn't too afraid, the woman definitely not even thinking of harming them. Still, the submissive little children act they had going on should smooth along the process.

"W-well…" How would Harry word this? She looked at the boy who twiddled with his thumbs and Hermione nudged him to look up.

"After reading the prophet this morning, about Sirius Black and Bellatrix Black-Lestrange…" Hermione started, leaving the rest to Harry who suddenly wanted to speak up about it.

"We came to the vaults to get proof that Sirius was innocent and did nothing of those crimes and that he has nothing to do with that evil Bellatrix witch, like you all believe." Harry rushed, seething at the mention of this woman.

"I'll have you know Mr. Potter, my cousin, while a dunderhead and helpless idiot, cannot stand to be within the same room with Bella. Not that I usually believe the prophet's drivel." She drawled, rolling her eyes at Harry's tactless speaking, and Hermione nearly facepalming.

"W-wait how do you know that?"

Hermione hissed at him that this was Narcissa **Black** -Malfoy. The article mentioned her as Bellatrix's sister and Sirius's cousin, while the woman regarded her appraisingly. The girl paid good attention to details.

"I highly doubt two mere children can do anything in a situation meant for genuine competent adults-"

Oh she was definitely baiting them, more specifically Harry, but what did she want him to blurt out?

Hermione's eyes widened when she sensed the memory that appeared at the forefront of Harry's mind, ready to come spilling out of his mouth, and Hermione's warning could do nothing to stop the floodgate.

"Y-yeah well where were the adults when the stupid basilisk was running around rampant, leaving us to clean up their mess!"

'Harry put your shields up damn it!' She scrambled to put up a defense against the witch sneakily watching the memories at the forefront of the boy's mind during the basilisk showdown. All she needed was some popcorn to go along with it, though Hermione wasn't at all keen on letting her watch a full length feature film of 'Hectic Harry's Misadventures'. So with one last mental push, the brunette managed to push out the witch's peeking eyes from Harry's mind, shaking from the exertion despite trying to convey ferocity in her glare that she aimed at Narcissa.

She expected the elder woman to be angry, perhaps even hit or curse her for her meddling in whatever sneaky plan she was up to. She even flinched when the matriarch moved, only to store away her wand and stare at the brunette with narrowed eyes and a contemplative air.

'She managed to push out of someone else's mind, and did so wandlessly. Two feats I have yet to see from all of the Wizarding population. The fact that she and Potter can perform legilimency and occlumency in the first place is… huh… How much has Draco been omitting about this short chit of a girl and her friends? Besides the memories of her burning the young Voldemort with terrifying stubbornness…'

All these thoughts were churning as she turned her head to the side, to avoid the girl reading her mind. Hermione scoffed and looked away, trying to still her trembling and subtly backing away with one hand holding the back of a dazed Harry's shirt.

What Narcissa did next changed Hermione's opinion of the woman.

"I… apologize for my prodding. It was uncalled for. It seems there is much Draco and others don't know about you, Miss Granger. I'll keeping an eye open. For now, it's best you go and get your evidence. You won't be able to fool Goblins for long."

Once again, a small stare down occurred, and she tensely nodded at the regal woman, back away slowly with Harry's hand nestled in hers, casting a hasty leviosa after she all but jumped from the carriage- yet another surprise to Narcissa.

'This girl will either be a blessing or a thorn in my side… depends on what I find in Bella's vault…' She sighed for the umpteenth time today, throwing the shaken up teens one last glance with only a hint of regret at her little invasion before rolling away.

Hermione had half a mind of heaving whatever she had for breakfast, but swallowed her bile back down and glared at the huge dark mahogany door carved with intricate golden vine designs that should retract as soon as Harry uses the key and his blood print.

That is until he recovers from where he's crouching.

Hopefully anytime now.

Hermione's eye developed a small tick and she turned around, only to see Harry moan in pain and clutch his scar.

"H-harry, what's wrong?"

"My scar… it hurts a lot."

"Are you sure it's not from what just happened with Mrs. Malfoy?"

He nodded, eyes still screwed shut.

"I… I think a piece of Voldemort is here…" He managed to spit out before hissing and rubbing at the reddening spot of his head.

"Oh boy… Alright Harry, get those shields up like we practiced, I'll help you up. I think going inside the vault will protect you for a while." She slowly helped the boy up, placing his arm around her shoulder as they walked a couple of paces, Harry shakily inserting the key and using a drop of blood before the vines slithered back at the very edges of the gate that groaned open, closing once they trudged inside.

* * *

"Draco. Hey, Draco!" Pansy shook the boy awake after he kept muttering nonsensically turning around so much the blanket Theo had brought for him trapped him in a little pale pink cocoon.

"Whuzza-?" He muttered, narrowing his baggy, bloodshot eyes at the intruder, staring up from his fluffy wrap. Pansy snorted before gently pulling him up and arranging stray hairs that escape the confines of the boy's gel.

"Let's get going caterpillar. I need to talk to you." Her gentle tone hardened, becoming more serious as she pulled the cautious boy behind her, planning to make him fess up. Damn it all if subtlety wasn't going to cut it, then she'll be as blunt as a sledgehammer to get Draco to tell her what's wrong. First they'll find a private spot, namely the room of requirements like Daphne advised her.

They made their trek up the stairs, Pansy's worry niggling at her further. She kept a firm hold on her childhood friend's hand, but even though he could shake her grip off with some effort, he did none of that. Not even an opposing tug or muttering to show his displeasure.

Just a resigned sigh and hunched shoulders. Maybe Hermione or Luna would've seen a little black gloomy cloud raining on him, with some thunder and lightning for effects.

"Aren't you going to ask where we're going?" Pansy asked, tone wavering after a moment of heavy silence, chancing a glance back at the sunken face that barely batted an eye. Not even a sassy eye roll.

Pansy turned around, releasing a shuddering sigh before frowning at herself. How dare she show worry and fear- any emotion besides pride, arrogance and the usual touch of anger?

"Daphne had better help or so Merlin help her…" She grumbled, quickening her pace and forcing Draco to stop dragging his feet on the ground, lest he trip over yet another staircase they had to take, followed by a trek in the 7th floor hallway, until they stopped in front of the large wooden door. She let go and leaned her back on the door, crossing her arms and her feet, shrugging off Draco's questioning look.

"Wait a while." He scowled briefly before figuring he might as well make himself comfortable and slid down to the floor beside Pansy, eyes, barely peeking over his arms that enveloped his knees scrawnier than when he started the year. His weight loss was another factor that worried Pansy- it wasn't to Hermione or Harry's point, but it was apparent nevertheless.

"Don't get your hopes up." Draco muttered while Pansy scoffed, staring at one end of the hallway as they sat in a tense silence.

'Please hurry, Daphne…'

* * *

"Daphne stop right there!"

"Make me 'Claw!" She hissed, turning her back to Cho and all but barreling outside the room, until Cho scrambled to lift up a wall from the stones, forcing Daphne to halt her exaggerated strides and turn her head to the left, glaring at Cho with enough venom to match a King Cobra's stores.

"Cho Yajirumi Chang. Let me pass through immediately."

Had Cho not been confident she was in Daphne's closest circle of friends, she would've shuddered and turned away on the spot.

"Aren't you going to compliment me on my practice?" Cho quipped instead, keeping her left hand closed in its tight fist as it pointed to the passageway blocking the enraged Slytherin.

"This isn't the time for jokes."

"You're the last person who'd say that. Well, you and the Weasely twins."

"Aren't you worried!? What if they didn't even make it to Gringotts? She and Harry blocked us mentally! What if they've been captured and are being fed to Dragons? Or worse- shoveling dragon dung!"

"Daphne, calm down before I slap you."

"You touch me and I'll slice that arm off with your katana!"

"You've seen what Hermione is capable of- Harry too. Think about it. If they are in trouble, we won't be able to do much either- that's why I sent a message to professor Lupin and Headmaster Dumbledore."

Cho hadn't expected Daphne to sneer, frost coating her hands, ice beginning to cackle and fizzle as she touched the stone, watching the ice spread over it.

"First, you're wrong. The four of us together would make a difference. And second…I don't like Dumbledore and we don't even know if Lupin is trustworthy enough-"

"He is, I've spoken to him- plus Hermione left me a note to explain- please take my word for it Daphne. Isn't that worth anything to you?" Some hurt bled into Cho's voice as she stared desperately into Daphne's pine green eyes that widened minutely when they locked onto her friend's pained onyx ones. They softened, her harsh exterior thawing slightly.

"Of course it is, don't be daft Cho. I trust you almost as much as I trust my parents." Daphne spoke quietly but firmly, bringing down her hands from the stone wall and turning to fully face her friend.

"See? I've calmed down. And look, if you say Lupin's alright, then I'll trust him."

"Thank you so much Daphne"

"Wait."

"What?"

"Did you say Hermione left you a note?" She suddenly exclaimed, frowning differently than before, eyes narrowing at Cho with far less killing intent than before.

"Yes, she did- she told me she had to go after Harry who wanted to go to Gringotts alone and get the proof of Sirius's innocence for an immediate remedial trial-"

"Good luck convincing Dumbledore that" Daphne muttered derisively, going ignored by Cho who went on.

"And she has her time turner along with Harry's invisibility cloak. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah sure…no, I'm fine… but why did she leave you a note and not me?" While she didn't mean to, her voice came out as a whine and she crossed her arms, huffing before thinking of something else to say.

Cho stopped dead for a few seconds, eying her with confusion, before realization dawned over her and had her don a tiny smile that never bode well for Daphne.

"Daphne… could it be that you're… jealous?"

"Wh-what!? Don't be preposterous Cho- what do I have to be jealous of? It probably just slipped Mione's mind to leave me one too."

"Oh yes, I'm sure." She smile widened to a grin rivaling the Cheshire cat's, and she nearly laughed when Daphne scrambled to get back to the topic at hand.

"A-anyways, I can't believe they managed to sneak away in the short time frame, we managed to find and comfort Neville."

"Thanks to the twins' intuition- I bet they had a gimmick up their sleeves. I was a bit surprised Draco was the first there, in the tower with him, actually patting his shoulder- albeit awkwardly, and listening to him talk or snivel or rant…whatever Neville did."

"Draco's an alright kid when he wants to be- It's mainly thanks to Pansy's no nonsense influence-"

"You'd know better than me, I suppose. Hey you seem… pale, are you alright?"

"…Do you mind keeping the wall up?"

"What?" Cho's grip nearly faltered, causing Daphne's eyes to widen comically.

"Speaking of Pansy, I remembered I was supposed to meet her and Draco in front of the room of requirements… an hour ago."

"Oh my."

"Yes, so I'm hoping this wall of yours will be a good excuse from her wrath."

"So she could get mad at me? No, thank you." She shot down her friend's plea almost as fast as she took down her wall and pushed Daphne out, her parting words rushed- she couldn't risk giving Daphne the time to process and fight back. That Parkinson girl could be terrifyingly sadistic when she put her mind to it.

"What the- Cho you traitor! We just had a moment and this is how you treat me?" She barely managed to yell out, almost falling flat on her butt. Almost. It would be unbecoming of the ice princess if she had.

"Daphne!" Another voice alerted her as she looked up to meet very angry eyes whose color encompassed flickered and shifted in a kaleidoscope of green, blue and auburn. At the moment, they could also be brewing with lava that would spew forth any second and scald her violently.

"Oh no-"

"You were in there the whole time and left us out her to numb our behinds off!?" Pansy's screech burst the paintings' ear drums while Draco hissed and Daphne yelped in horror, hands wildly gesturing for her to wait.

"I can explain! Cho held me back because there's been an emergency and-" Pansy threw a glance behind her and saw a barren room, turning back to glare with enough ferocity that it nearly set Daphne's robes on fire.

"I don't see any whiny Ravenclaws in there."

"She ran away! Damn it Cho!"

'Maybe my Slytherin tendencies have rubbed off a bit too much on her… whoops.'

Daphne would regret not casting a shield charm afterwards- but looking down at Draco, who barely registered her presence, she couldn't help but forget the retort at the tip of her tongue, instead looking back at a calmer Pansy with a perplexed expression. She gently grabbed Daphne's arm and took her aside out of Draco's earshot- not that the catatonic boy registered it anyway.

"This is why I need your help. You... and the other three." The fact that Pansy Parkinson was asking for help terrified Daphne more than any spell she could throw at her. She knew then how willing the proud Slytherin was to push away her personal opinions and dignity to get her childhood friend out of whatever pit he had dug himself into.

Of course, Draco wasn't her only childhood friend. Daphne was too, and she'll be damned if she left Pansy to struggle on her own. So, she nodded before the short haired girl even finished her sentence, and gratefulness shone in those earthly eyes before she muttered a small but meaningful Thank You that Daphne effortlessly shrugged off.

"How about we get Draco inside for a soothing cup of tea and some buiscuits- a la Greengrass."

"Good luck feeding him anything." Pansy scoffed, but smirked back at her longtime ally- no, _friend_ \- before going back to the room's entrance.

"If he rejects my kindness I'll be feeding him my fist."

"Daphne, no."

"Spoil Sport."

* * *

And here's the third chapter! I hope you've enjoyed reading it!

Now I won't be posting anything until August 2 since until then i'll be in Croatia (starting tomorrow), so i'd be really thankful for your patience.

Thank you so much for all of you who fave and follow and especially those who review (Thanks for the support Lovingpillow and Anonymous Reviewer! :D)

I hope you're all having good or bearable summers filled with cold stuff, like ice cream :)

By the way this chapter was a bit rushed so please let me know about any mistakes I made in the reviews, i'd really appreciate it ^^

Until next time,

-Ramela


	4. Chapter 4

Hissing. Gibberish. Shouting and Screaming.

All of it attacked him unexpectedly, blindsided him so swiftly he had collapsed to the floor like a puppet cut from its strings. Thankfully, Hermione was there and half carried him to his vaults, which served as a damper against this wretched soul piece threatening to corrupt him from the inside out like a rampant virus.

A big part of him liked to believe it was because he was close to objects, mementos and artifacts that still held his parents' essence. Maybe Hermione could see them glowing a faint gold. That would make him happy.

Happy thoughts like that are good; they help chase away the terrifying voices, until finally, he had silence. When his happy thoughts formed a big, sturdy wall around his mind and soothed him, like the brief backrubs and hair ruffles the girls gave him on many an occasion at Hogwarts did. Like Hermione's hand comfortingly rubbing his shoulder was right then. That was relaxing- good, he'll use that as an anchor back to the world of the living.

Enough daydreaming for now, he had a godfather to free.

Blinking a couple of times, he groggily lifted his head and was met with gentle ceiling lights illuminating the muggle bank sized vault and Hermione's worriedly scrunched up face that cleared like clouds on a sunny day as soon as he looked at her with confused emerald eyes.

"Good job building those shields up, Harry." Her smile was contagious as he grinned, tired but proud with his occlumency.

"Here. It will wake you up." she threw him a small chocolate bar the school elves occasionally handed her after she helped them cook dinner in the summers – under the pretense of getting practice so they'd let her.

"Imitating Lupin?" He joked, accepting her extended hand as she helped him off, the two dusting themselves off before he looked around.

"I'm fine for now. Let's search for the documents instead." He was rewarded with a stern look.

"Eat. You have plenty of time to search with this nifty trick." She smugly pointed at the time turner peeking from under her shirt.

"Are you allowed to use it before returning to where we started from?"

"I may have been experimenting." Her pitch rose by about an octave and she looked away guiltily, smiling sheepishly when Harry gave her 'the look'.

"Does Mcgonagall know-?"

"Oh she does! I can't be at fault then."

All Harry did was shake his head and smile knowingly, muttering something about 'taking a page from Daphne's book' before going off to one end of the library to crack open one of the numerous ancient and sturdy chests and fish out the evidence of his godfather's innocence once again.

Hermione just grinned at the mention of her favorite Slytherin and spun around to search in the opposite direction, lacking any panic in her stride. She was optimistic time was well on her side.

* * *

Time was definitely not on Narcissa's side, who grit her teeth as she dished out detection charms like candy on Halloween night, trying to make it to that bloody goblet Bella asked for- no, ordered for. As much as she loved her big sister, she definitely wasn't blind to her machinations to revive the dark Lord.

Narcissa also wasn't blind to how terrified Draco was of their guest after her… sessions to convince him of their cause- and that was the culminating point that had her seek to obliterate the goblet. Dark Lord be damned- as much as she truly does love Lucius, she won't have Draco turn into a haunted and corrupted follower. She won't tolerate Draco waking up shivering, sweating and sulking from nightmares that aggravated the dark bags under his eyes and his skittishness within the very confines of his own home. What should be- have been- his safe haven.

It was true she wasn't particularly fond of muggles and muggleborn who lacked complete understanding of their culture, to put it mildly, but she certainly didn't want them dead. And neither did her little boy.

'Thoughts are fine and well, but how in Morgana's name will I turn them into action? How can I hide this away from Bella and destroy it?'

Her answer came in the form of a shockwave that quaked the whole underground and sent some rubble and dust down coating the room. And this all happened when she cast a powerful detection spell that spread across the room to the sheltered Goblet. This wasn't supposed to happen; the dark magic of the Horcrux shouldn't be this reactive unless another was nearby.

If the high pitched bloodcurdling scream was any indication, something had just happened. Eyes wide and hands tingling, she still managed to prevent them from trembling and keep a cool head, exiting her sister's vault with wand clutched in her palm, the instrument thrumming with adrenaline that poured from its master.

"P-please help- ah not again!" Hermione yelled out, hastily casting another protego that Narcissa threw lightning speed but still managed to send her back a good 5 meters.

"You again? What are you doing here?" She asked, brusquely pointing away her wand but glaring at the brunette who lowered her own wand reluctantly.

"I-i… you're the only person I knew was around, so I could only ask you to help Harry- I don't know what happened! One minute he was talking to me and the next he was screaming with his scar bleeding-"

"What?"

'Is this related to the Horcrux?'

"Hurry girl, show me where the boy is." She commanded, her no nonsense attitude clicking into place, to which Hermione all too eagerly responded, leading the older woman through a series of twisting roads marked by many stalagmites. Once they were far away from Bella's vault, a small figure lifted away the invisibility cloak as she entered, sighing in relief but not giving herself the luxury to smile. Hermione from the time cube did a marvelous job getting Narcissa away. Hopefully Harry was conscious enough to respond and lead her through his blinding pain.

'Harry, listen. I'll send you mental images of whatever objects have a dark aura, so tell me which one is Voldemort's piece.' The original Hermione received a strained affirmation before trudging on, wincing from all the dark artifacts whose aura licked ominously at hers.

Calling out a hello, and the echo that bounced back at her at least 4 times told her it was going to be a ridiculously long trek to get to that Horcrux.

Maybe another time cube self wouldn't hurt... if she doesn't pass out from magical exhaustion first.

With a tense exhale, she started her trek into the cavernous and intimidating silver and gold filled vault, beginning to send images of whatever artifacts glowed in varying degrees of black. Every aura counted, when she recalled the diary sneakily hiding its own from her during second year. Meanwhile Harry was also sending her mental images of Narcissa all but barging into their vault, and kneeling at Harry's side, asking 'Hermione' what happened. If she noticed the polarity change in the time cube, she sure didn't show it.

'Hang in there Harry, I'm halfway through the vault…' She'll have to later thank Narcissa for casting some advanced numbing charms on Harry's scar. Could it be she knows about Voldemort's pieces?

She walked further, frowning when she reached another silver gate with entwined snakes locking it, and innocently sitting behind it, but not at all out of place, was a golden goblet. For no reason whatsoever, it gave Hermione chills, as if it were watching her intently, dissecting her psyche, waiting for her to make a faulty move. Harry strongly reacted, mentally grunting that it could be the piece, as his head felt an immediate pull to it, like a magnet to a metal, despite the plethora of numbing charms cast by the older witch who tried to find out what had just transpired and building it on her underlying suspicions.

Hermione touched the gate, and retracted her hand soon after, the hostile magic sending goosebumps through her arms and legs. She glared at the gate as if it had challenged her to a duel. She cracked her knuckles and wracked her brain for any good unlocking spells she could think about besides Alohamora. Or any way to get through those gates. She tried an unbinding spell on the snakes, though a nasty surprise greeted her when one of the snakes turned its head and glared at her with small, red and beady little eyes, violently springing and biting at her hand she retracted barely in time, clutching it to her chest quaking in terror as it hissed incoherently at her, though going still soon after.

Hermione could only calm her heartbeat in the time it took Narcissa to start exiting Harry's vault to come back, lock it and then call the goblins down. Much to both Hermione's and Harry's displeasure.

'Damn, we need a distraction!' Somehow, their desperate prayer had been answered in the form of sudden urgent barks, growls and yells, the latter noises coming from none other than Goblin guards that descended into the caves.

'D-did they find out about us!?' Had Harry been speaking, his voice would've hitched up an octave from panic, his only relief that all those numbing spells finally allowed him to think straight…sort of.

Narcissa also turned her head, eyes widening for a split second as even she felt the panic of the moment settle in. She had left her sister's vault containing a whole row of terribly dark artifacts wide open and barrier-less for Goblins to poke their large misshapen noses in.

She was up and out of Harry's vault in seconds, speed walking to her vault, heels clacking loudly onto the granite but still keeping impeccable balance and form as she brandished her wand for good measure.

'Hermione she's coming! Get out of there!' The brunette immediately heeded Harry's words, quickly silencing her feet before breaking out into a sprint. She nearly reached the entrance, only pushing herself further when she noticed the matriarch's growing shadow looming at the entrance and flickering like a maddened spectre.

'If only I knew how to apparate…' She stopped dead. The older witch did too, as a big black dog rushed at – no, past her- with several Goblin guards giving frantic chase, not noticing the goblet as Narcissa was conveniently standing in its line of sight.

'Right in the nick of time…' She breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Hermione, since the distraction gave her enough time to run out the vault and back to the Potter vault to get Harry and ride the trolley the hell out of here.

"Hermione!" He lunged at the brunette and hugged her waist tightly, relieved the real Hermione got here safely and dissipated the time box once she stepped inside. Hermione returned the hug briefly before pushing him at arm's length with a wry smile.

"As glad as I am to see you alright, let's run now, hug later."

"Or run for our lives from Cho and Daphne instead."

"T-that too…" No wonder they were barely escaping danger. Those two weren't around to save their hides.

Shaking her head to get rid of any thoughts that weren't spells or escape plans, she grabbed Harry's wrist and the two sprinted along the edge of the cave, catching sight of the trolley containing Narcissa hastily manning the controls and looking down into the carriage with muttered, concise words; strangely, no one was there.

Instead of cheering, their cries grew panicked as it started going back up and away from them, Hermione's leviosa not strong enough to levitate them to the carriage in time and leaving them stranded in the middle of a long line of vaults and Goblin guards running around in circles chasing a mutt on a sugar high in the lower cave levels near the dragon pen.

"Fantastic… How will we get out of here now?" Harry lamented, clutching the sides of his head and looking down, thinking intensely for a way out, Hermione doing the same but biting her lip and wringing her hands instead.

"Let's go back and hide in your vault again, it would be a bad idea to get caught now."

"I already got the evidence and then some. Can't you reverse time so we get into the carriage before she leaves?"

"Again?"

"It's the only solution we have…"

"Alright, but just give me some time to recharge. I'm… low on time units. Need an hour before I can reverse, since, you know, one hour per click." She grunted as she sat cross legged on the floor, the cloak draped over both to keep them invisible as Harry sat beside her, patiently waiting. What better way to kill time than strike a conversation?

"So Hermione, about that goblet…"

* * *

"Draco, why won't you just tell us what's wrong?" Pansy grit out, voice laced with tender concern, but hard at the edges from frustration of getting him to just open up.

"I just… I c-can't…"

The three Slytherins were seated in a downsized replica of the Slytherin dorms shaped by the room of requirements, having long since gobbled up their cookies and emptied their teapots, the two girls staring at the sullen blond expectantly. Daphne looked away uncomfortably when Pansy questioned Draco, having already caught a glimpse of what's been giving Draco nightmares; the fear, confusion and panic threatened to drown her, but the images weren't coherent enough for her to make sense.

She was tentative about revealing that she and the other three even knew legilimency or occlumency, but seeing the hollow sunken face in front of her, and the bonds of friendship, not just of alliance as their parents organized, made Daphne look back at the two in a rare moment of nervousness and clear her throat.

"Since Draco can't say anything, I'll try to help instead. Please don't get mad for this, but back when you visited my parents' manor for the usual tea session, I may have taken a peek inside Draco's mind. I was learning some legilimency and occlumency during that time. There's something that scared you so unreasonably your thoughts don't even make sense-"

"You read my mind!?" A switch turned in Draco and bolted up, wand in his hand blasting the blond with a cutting hex. Neither of the girls expected his violent outburst and Daphne wasn't quick enough to completely dodge it, resulting in a sideways cut on her forearm that tore at her shirt.

"Draco what the hell?" Pansy quickly made to grab and lower his wand arm, but he roughly pushed her away and jumped back like a cornered animal, eyes feral as he stared down Daphne whose own wand was out, with slivers of hurt and confusion swirling in her pine green eyes.

"Draco get a grip, you're acting like a drunkard." She sniped coldly, her eyes the only window to her emotions. The rest of her body moved on auto pilot, mind keeping its cool just like she's viciously trained in the summer, desperate to avoid a repeat meltdown of the basilisk crisis in the chamber last year.

"St-tay away from me! Why did you do that?!" He was full on screeching at this point, a whine underlying in his voice that was half way turning into a sob, panting as he tried to hold it in. Their wands pointed at each other and Pansy didn't know if she would blast Draco with one to stop this downwards spiraling mess.

"I didn't do it to hurt you Draco. Like Pansy, I was worried about you and didn't pry into anything besides surface thoughts." Her musical voice was calm and leveled, never provocative. Unfortunately, even the slightest breeze would set off this sleep deprived and nightmare riddled boy.

"But you saw!"

"That's usually what people with eyes do Draco-" She was cut off by a weak bombarda she cast a swift protego against, more than prepared for anything the at best mediocre dueler threw at her.

'Maybe sarcasm isn't the best solution at the moment...'

"It's futile to raise your wand against me when I'm the better caster. The first time was a lucky shot, and I'm willing to overlook it if you put down your wand. Now." Her calm words formed a clear order, unmistakable even when spoken so lowly. They finally started to have an effect on Draco as he let out a shuddering sigh, no longer gripping his wand as tightly as before, or glaring as intensely either.

Her words were finally getting to him, finally reaching his closed off and cracked surface. The second his wand was down, Pansy swooped in and took it away, ignoring the guilt at the betrayed face Draco pulled right after, his violence returning two fold. A darker part of Pansy wondered if he would've attacked her had Daphne's wand not been trailed on him. The look in his eyes was almost as painful as what she'd imagine a mental Cruciatus must feel like.

"Look, Draco, I'm sorry I read your mind, but you need help. And I can't do it alone." She hoped he was listening to her and didn't force her to petrify him. She didn't fancy lifting a wand on a friend outside a dueling ring, no matter how sadistic the student body thinks she is.

"We'll get you to Madame Pomfrey so you can get some sleep-" She was approaching Draco to gently guide him out but he flinched away from her, agitated, as if her were burned.

"Don't touch me! I can go there on my own…" He sneered at her, avoiding Pansy's searching eyes. She was starting to regret taking away his wand, but her remorse boiled into anger- at herself, at Draco, and at Daphne. At any living and breathing thing, if she were honest.

Right when things couldn't get any more complicated, Cho knocked and opened the door a crack, peeking in and hiding a cringe at the tense atmosphere. Though her brows furrowed at the wound on Daphne's arm and she immediately came forward questioningly.

"What do you want!?" Pansy barked out, making Cho do a double take.

"What the-" She began, affronted with the Slytherin's crude greeting.

"Not now, Cho. Did you get Lupin?" Her voice was hard and cold, but her eyes tried to reassure Cho she was doing fine. The Ravenclaw took a long moment to stare at her friend, and then at Pansy and Draco, before frowning and nodding reluctantly. If those two had anything to do with hurting Daphne there would be hell to pay afterwards.

She quickly beckoned Daphne, enveloping a protective arm around the taller girl's shoulder and throwing a suspicious glare at the two, Pansy glaring back venomously; something was wrong, it wasn't as vile as usual- it was lackluster even. She must be miserable, much like zombie Draco twitching beside her.

She quirked an eyebrow, eyes back on Daphne who muttered about taking them to the infirmary first and explaining later. Cho readily agreed, telling Lupin who accompanied her so they can get to Harry and Hermione as fast as possible.

* * *

"Alright, I think enough time has passed so we can rewind safely."

"It's not like we have any other options, especially if it involves an angry Cho and Daphne on our heads."

"Ugh don't remind me… unfortunately that's unavoidable no matter what we do." Her voice was on the verge of cracking, the mere thought of getting the girls uncomfortable giving her all sorts of goosebumps and cringes.

"Right then." She quickly slipped the gold chain around his neck to rewind back exactly one hour, moments before Narcissa made off with their ticket out of here and away from the trolls and that strange black dog.

While they were winding back, Hermione mentally spoke to him.

'Harry did you see that black dog the goblins were chasing?'

'So that's what the barking was about… I've been stranded with Mrs. Malfoy the whole time in the vault, unfortunately.'

'We should probably thank her for helping you.'

"More like for trying to pry out of me if that horcrux shockwave had anything to do with me…" His grumbling made Hermione smirk and she spoke on as if he hadn't said anything.

'Perhaps a fruit basket would be suitable. D'you reckon magicals have that sort of thing?'

"Hermione, well… I don't know. Maybe sending them butterbeer?" His exasperated whine sobered into a genuinely curious question, finding the conversation a good distraction from the hectic situation he threw himself and Hermione in.

"Or fire whisky or some other more expensive brands of wizarding wine?"

Before Harry had the chance to retort, both teens turned at the sound barking approaching them and nearly squealed.

"Mione I thought you said they were gone!" They began shuffle their feet back unsteadily from the approaching stampede led by the big black distraction, livid goblins wielding weapons that could impale them in more than a 100 ways, and a cloud of dust.

"Leviosa?"

"Leviosa!"

Hermione hastily cast the spell lifting them away just as Narcissa was getting into the carriage, while Harry's eyes remained stuck on the unusual and disastrous stampede, staring intently at the dog with a worsening frown.

'It looked very familiar in album photos with Mum and Dad.' His eyes widened when he discerned what the dog was barking this whole time, and picked up 'Harry' and 'Find Prongslet' being said over and over. No one besides Sirius would know that nickname!

"Hermione it is him! We have to rescue him!" His voice shot up a couple of octaves, and would have shaken her shoulders senseless had she not been focusing on the spell.

"H-harry wait- let me focus! We can't take him with us or the Goblins will hunt us down!"

"But Hermione it's him!" He was screeching at this point, and nearly jumped out of the spell had Hermione not had such a strong hold.

"Harry James Potter you got the evidence we need to free him, he's a grown man who can take care of himself! But we can't if we miss our ride- Just- hold still!" She grunted loudly, finally throwing them both onto the carriage just as Narcissa got in. She seemed to have heard them and briefly checked if they were okay, making haste as she manned the controls to get the hell out, but not before Harry screamed out a bombarda at the rock structures on the ceiling that fell right between the dog and the Goblins effectively delaying their pursuit and buying Sirius time.

Both woman and girl nearly had a heart attack, distraught goblins excluded. When Narcissa looked back down at him with an intense glare, he could do nothing but laugh nervously and shrug.

"umm… I really like dogs?"

'Harry you idiot…'

* * *

"I can't believe we made it out…"

"You say nothing. You nearly jumped out of the carriage and got both of us killed!"

"I couldn't just leave him like that!"

"The spell you cast was enough distraction! We collected the evidence, there's nothing else you can do Harry-"

"Actually, there is. Taking off that cloak for one." Narcissa's silky voice interrupted their hushed conversation and they sheepishly lifted away the cloak and innocently looked up at the matriarch who rolled her eyes at their sheepish smiles, terribly unamused and in need of a long nap.

She nudged her head towards Lupin, Cho and Daphne waiting for them outside the bank, and Hermione suddenly regretted escaping from the bank. Facing a dragon might be easier than facing the ice princess and surprisingly hot tempered Ravenclaw.

"Oh, hey… fancy meeting you here!" Hermione choked out, smile so strained it threatened to turn to stone.

Narcissa left wordlessly after a curt nod to Daphne and Cho's distracted but polite bows of respect, the two girls about to erupt on the brash Gryffindors. The eldest witch knew well when to avoid an eruption; her son's hissy fits were already one too many to handle.

"Hermione Jean Granger. Don't you dare!" Daphne hissed as she resisted the urge to hex the brunette, not letting the immense relief that she and Harry were okay to seep through her. The anger from being left out, not being trusted enough and having them risk their lives so foolishly far overwhelmed that relief. She insisted on the cold shoulder, even though Hermione's face that crumbled, shocked and upset, made it very difficult for the Slytherin not to hug the life out of her small friend.

"I Cho D-daph…I-I can explain…" She trailed off lip quivering, confused when she felt her throat clog up and pressure in her temples near her eyes build up with the tell-tale signs of crying- it's not like anyone was going to hit her for misbehaving! But Daphne giving her the cold shoulder made breathing harder and dropped heavy rocks in her stomach. Cho looking at her with disappointment in her eyes only added to this myriad of crushing emotions that made her feel like she betrayed them by converting to the dark side or renouncing music.

She trailed behind the group, ending up beside Harry who responded to their reactions with cold, aggressive anger. He was too stubborn to admit his fault, and acted as if he didn't give a damn. But Hermione could hear him sniffling and hastily rubbing his eyes, looking down as he tightly clutched the hem of his school sweater.

It suddenly mattered awfully little to Hermione that they succeeded in their insane mission.


	5. Chapter 5

So many insecure thoughts were swirling around Hermione's mind that if she had a galleon for each, she'd trump the amount present in the Potter and Black vaults combined.

'What if they won't play with us anymore? What if Daphne stops talking to me? Stupid… why did I let Harry do that… Now they're going to hate us… damn it, they're mad, really mad, they won't even open their mental connection… N-no don't start crying now, i'll get all snotty and have the urge to sneeze and cry more…' Her breath was starting to hitch but she hid it, comforting herself that she'd just conjure a tissue.

'But, I mean, I didn't do anything wrong- I was helping Harry!'

'You could've just petrified him…' Great, now she was talking to herself. She groaned silently while the group quietly walked the way back on the cobblestone floor through the Hogsmeade streets, Lupin making a couple of stops on the way. Not a word was exchanged between the four students as tensions rose.

'So he could hate me too?'

'So you value his friendship more than Cho and Daphne's?' That's right, she forgot how mean that cynical little voice inside her was.

'What!? Of course not! B-but, it just felt like the right thing to do-'

'Oh right, breaking rules because it's the greater good! Pulling a Dumbledore now aren't you?'

'Hey that's not-'

'You should've been patient like you said'

'If I was we never would've stumbled on Mrs. Malfoy and the goblet-'

'You might as well scream "Kill me" to Riddle with that little stunt you pulled earlier.'

'For goodness's sake… there's no winning with you…'

'Of course not. I'm you.'

"Hey Hermione, do you mind not mental yelling so much?" Harry muttered beside her, face blank, but at least much calmer than before. If anything, now he looked grimly successful, considering he at least got the parchment proving Sirius's innocence, despite the consequences.

"Sorry…"

The rest of the way was spent in uncomfortable radio silence from the girls Hermione knew she wholeheartedly deserved, and they finally made it to the castle and Lupin bid them a brief farewell, only Cho managing a small smile at the awkward professor, but then frowning once again when she looked at Harry, who winced and looked away. While he said he didn't care about the consequences, he didn't expect Cho's disappointment to bombard him with guilt. Meanwhile Daphne's almost seemed accusatory, besides the worry and anger she projected onto both Gryffindors.

As soon as Remus turned his back to leave, Daphne did the same, making Hermione's eyes widen and try to stop her. She had to apologize to them! She barely got air into her lungs before a look sharp enough to cut diamond from Daphne's narrowed eyes figuratively petrified the two mischief makers, air going out of Hermione like a deflating balloon.

"Room of requirement. Now." They meekly nodded and followed, Cho trailing behind to make sure they didn't try to flee- namely Harry. Hermione looked ready to chop an arm off to gain their- well mainly Daphne's- forgiveness back; she already explained everything to Cho and apologized pre-emptively, so the Ravenclaw will let her off the hook, quite easily too. As for Harry though… he's going to get ten-fold the yelling one would expect from a howler, from both of them.

The moment the door slid shut, Daphne turned around and glared at the two arms crossed, nearly pinching herself to keep from reacting to their panic and sorrowful expressions. If they feel this way now, at least they won't do anything rash later, especially Harry.

"What were you even thinking?" She hissed furiously, her cool façade already starting to crack.

"Well we- Harry wanted to find proof for Sirius after finding today's n-newspaper so he wanted to go to the vaults and get the evidence now since it would take a lot of time if we waited for Headmaster Dumbledore and I couldn't leave him alone so I went after him and i-I used the time turner a couple of times so we're okay and we made it back s-so yeah… B-but I didn't go alone because I didn't trust you but since you two wouldn't have agreed to the plan-"

"So you leave us behind and risk your asses?" She almost regretted yelling at the brunette when she flinched back, halfway at raising her arms to shield her face when she registered that it's Daphne yelling; there's no way she'd hurt her.

"I swear I would've but I just didn't have time he was already leavin' when I got there!" She yelled back at first but quickly diminished, voice cracking. She was mad at herself for the tears building up behind her eyes. Merlin, she felt so childish, and it was absolutely embarrassing to have them watch her in this state.

"A-and… I didn't want you two to get hurt too, I know you're strong but… yeah." She twiddled her fingers, not looking up at the blonde who couldn't keep glaring at the nervous brunette and conjured a box of tissues, keeping a frown long enough to sternly ask her to look up.

"Hey now… I didn't want to make you this sad-" She uncomfortably rubbed the back of her neck, getting upset and uncomfortable at seeing Hermione in this rare state. Had she not known about her past, or at least some of it, she would've teased her with a long list of variations of cry baby, but the brunette was taking this a bit too seriously.

Seeing Hermione physically try to keep herself together was more awkward and saddening than a Gryffindor trying to make conversation with Professor Snape. Though Hermione was definitely more endearing.

"Ah fuck it…" She muttered so Cho wouldn't hear her cuss- even though she definitely did but let it pass this time- and pulled the Gryffindor by her shirt into a Daphne patented hug, the Gryffindor only hesitating for a second before wrapping her arms around the Slytherin's waist and nuzzling her head into her shoulder.

"You scared me to death you idiot!"

"I'm sorry… I'll make an oath we won't do that again without you two…"

"And not just a little post it parchment left for only one of us… right?"

"Promise."

"Good."

"Cho come here for a sec."

"Wha-" The Ravenclaw was also pulled in, falling victim to the Slytherin's diabolical trap of melting the anger out of her and joining the group hug, glad that Hermione's bushy hair was so soft. She heard faint footsteps backing away from them and looked up to pin a terrified Harry in his spot with a glare that spelled trouble. The livid sneer Daphne gave him over Hermione's shoulder confirmed he would've been better off with the goblins nailing him to the wall with a spear.

"Harry, Harry, Harry… where do you think you're going, dearest friend?"

"Is it too late to say that Hermione made me do it?" He giggled nervously, scratching the back of his head before paling at the mother of scoldings delivered by Cho, Daphne egging her on with a well-meaning insult or two.

'At least they're no longer mad at me...'

* * *

'Never mind they were very mad, still.'

It's why they made him take History of Magic notes for all of them while they sat discussing they've stumbled upon in the vaults.

"Wow, I never thought that one headache you had once last year would've been because of a horcrux."

"You got an album with you besides the evidence right, Harry?"

"Y-yeah… I didn't get to go through it like with the rest. It has 'Marauders' written over it, so I'm not sure if it's about my parents." He pouted as he took a break from the feet of parchment his tired hand has been writing and looked up at the three girls, where Hermione was snuggled in between the two.

He had to admit, seeing Hermione devastated was a pretty heartbreaking sight, it was surprising they weren't scrambling to buy her new violin equipment, or strawberries at this point.

"I guess there's only one way to find out." Cho stated diplomatically, and ever curiously, hand going for the thick tome until Daphne stopped them.

"Wait. I think that can wait for some hot chocolate, and maybe another time. I wanted you all to be here to ask you about a certain person that needs out help. Badly."

"A friend?"

"It's Draco."

"What happened?" Hermione questioned, looking up at Daphne's face, though as her gaze trailed upwards, she noticed a cut along the girl's shirt and faint traces of blood.

"Hey Daph… what happened to your arm?" Hermione frowned suspiciously, peeking inside the shirt tear to see a magically healed wound.

'It's too clean to be self-inflicted or caused accidentally…'

"About that, Draco and I had a little spat before we came to get you."

"He hurt you!"

"Relax Mione, it's just one cutting spell, and I healed it up when we got him to madame Pomfrey."

"But he-" Harry fiercely objected as he Hermione and Cho sat up straighter, not very fond of Malfoy at the moment.

"As flattered as I am you're all prepared to take arms and slay a Draco- get it, since Draco is short for dragon in latin- we should help him out mentally before you kick his corporeal butt."

Hermione didn't even chuckle at the joke but nodded almost unperceptively, definitely not letting this go.

"…Fine. What was wrong?"

"I may have read his surface thoughts a few months ago and saw a few disturbing snippets of what almost gave me nightmares- they were very choppy, and blurred, no, more like charred at the edges. The center of the images was blurry, somewhat. As if he wasn't there. In some of the thoughts, they were normal images like the ones any of you would send me. Clear cut and as color saturated as ever."

"Well… what were the images about?"

"See, that's the thing. I don't how Draco would manage to get visions of burning houses, horrid cackling noises with really black, I mean soot black messy hair, little children crying and people getting tortured- so erm, yeah-"

"What the hell!?" Harry screeched while Cho gaped, eyes wide as saucers, and Hermione shivered, unable to make sense of the situation.

"Are you sure that's what was on Draco's surface?" Hermione broke the tense silence, intently staring into Daphne's somewhat clouded eyes.

"Yeah, it's pretty hard to make up what I saw."

"Let's get it out of him then."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"It's already dinner time, even if it is a Saturday." Harry interrupted while Cho masked the sound of her gurgling stomach with a small coughing fit.

"…"

"Hermione, you're already underweight- just a bit, but still... you need to get some food in your system. Madame Pomfrey said skipping meals was a big No."

"I'm fine Cho…" She whined lightly, not very argumentative with the two girls after today's events. It may have been the first serious argument within the quartet.

"Hermione, it might be your last good meal before someone drags you to the infirmary for your annual potion treatments." Daphne reminded with a wise tone, trying not to grin at the brunette's paling visage.

"W-who's up for a pie eating competition?" Hermione suggested weakly, the three laughing and patting her back.

"You're on, shrimp." She wouldn't disgrace Slytherin by losing at anything, even a pie competition. It might even make Hermione eat better for once, despite how much better she was getting at it.

"Hermione and I count as one since we're from the same house!"

"Damn… I didn't consider it like that, but fine. And you, Ch-"

"Nope. You know pie's not my favorite anyway."

"Touche. You think elves will make you ice cream all times of the year?"

"One can only hope." She and Hermione both sighed morosely, before cheering up once they saw Ron, Ginny and the twins waving at them in the hallway.

With them around, it was sure to be an entertaining evening!

* * *

A raven haired girl sat at her wooden desk in her shared bed room, studiously scribbling away on several pieces of parchment, with small designs haphazardly drawn, some detailing treble clefs entwined with a bow, others a couple of musical notes with a twist, and so forth. The sketches were far more than the scattered ink blots that even the near impeccable writer couldn't avoid, when using a quill. Still, she liked it- the quill feather came from her family's messenger hawk and the pen itself was made by her grandmother, who was a carver, so she treasured it.

She was so absorbed in her work she didn't notice any of the other occupants enter, or their questioning, or even when the youngest blonde Ravenclaw poked her shoulder. It was eventually Parvati that threw a pillow to the back of Cho's head and that slammed her forehead onto the parchment she had just been writing on.

"What the-" Her head bounced back almost as fast, much like a punching ball and she swiveled in her chair to glare at the girls. Marietta snorted, before the rest followed, dissolving into full blown laughter that only miffed Cho further. Though her mean look was greatly diminished by the ink blots on her smeared across her forehead.

"Is giving me a concussion that hilarious?"

Luna wordlessly took a mirror from the dresser she was standing beside and lifted it to Cho's face, going from a frown to shock, her mouth forming a surprised 'Oh', before she narrowed her eyes at the still laughing girls.

She harrumphed and rose out of her chair, grabbing some supplies from her bed.

"I'll be taking a shower, so whatever you have to say, will wait." She stated primly, walking away while grounding he teeth at the ongoing snickers behind her back, and looking forward to a nice hot bath to soothe her muscles.

"What was she so absorbed in that she couldn't even look up?" Marietta scoffed, frowning suspiciously.

Luna chanced a peek at the notes, oohing and ahhing appreciatively as she flipped through the notes of parchment.

"Cho certainly doesn't plan things halfway… She's working on blueprints to establish music classes as an elective course at Hogwarts, with Hermione, Harry and Daphne as co-founders."

"Really!?"

"You're joking"

"Why music? Ah is it because she plays the cello?"

"Can I see?"

Their curiosity peaked, they all clambered towards the moderately sized wooden desk, analyzing the notes and commenting amongst themselves while Luna strayed behind slightly, distractedly staring outside a window until Parvati interrupted her.

"D'you reckon students will join if this works?"

"I have a feeling they will, with the right push, maybe. How about you tell your sister about it? It might be fun."

'And she will definitely start spreading some rumors to feed the whole school and build up the hype for it.' She mentally added, staring up hopefully into the amber eyes of her usually cool headed and open minded friend. Seeing them soften, Luna mentally cheered. This will definitely make Hermione happy!

* * *

"'Sup Gryffindorks?" She casually walked into the Gryffindor dorms

"Daphy!" Ginny teased before squeezing the taller girl and one of her newer friends in a quick hug, before continuing her way out of the dorms to fly around on her broom- which she's asked Hermione to enchant for possibly the 20th time this month alone- and help Luna find some of her ' bumbling humdingers' or whatever they were.

"Daphne you slimy snake!"

"You restless reptile,"

"Ambitious Adder-"

"Vigor-"

"Alright I get it!" She interrupted the ever boisterous twins, absentmindedly looking for a brown bushy head of hair nowhere to be found in the rest of the dorms.

"Oh Gred, don't you feel so left out?"

"Pushed away?"

"Thrown aside?"

"While our dearest ice princess looks for Gryffindor's fiery little cub, yet again?"

"Those two are joined at the hip- ironically, fire and ice-"

"As much as I live for your little monologues, honestly I do, I don't have the time for it, Fred and George."

"Ah well, we can do nothing but fulfill our dearest snake's request-"

"-And tell you that your fair maiden needs your rescue from the dreary and dull deathtrap that is the library."

"Library. Marvelous. Au revoir!" She was out of there like a student being told history class was over and snickered at the mock dejection painting the two comedic wizards' faces before they bounced back almost as quickly, greeting Oliver, then Cormac- less enthusiastically- before Dean and Deamus's conversation about trumpets and drums caught their interest.

* * *

"Mione there's something important i've got to talk about!" Daphne marched into the library, brimming with confidence in her tale as she stood by her close friend's table, looking down at her head of curled, mangled hair the rest of the trio loved to play with often, if only to tease the brunette. She and Cho also tried braiding it once, but neither of them were quite good at it, judging by the drawer that served as tiny graveyard for snapped hair ties and remains of a hairbrush that has mysteriously been swallowed up by the scary sentient being that served as Hermione's hair.

Thank goodness it was less bushy this year- the lack of humidity does wonders it seems. Back to her point, which definitely hadn't been put off because she was distracted by her friend's hair- Daphne grinned when Hermione almost immediately looked up to greet her.

Her knuckles were squishing her cheek as she supported her elbow on the old chipped and vandalized table, raising her eyebrows inquisitively, a wordlessly understood signal for her friend to resume.

"With Cho being all buddy buddy with professor Lupin, she clued me in that the DADA class we're having tomorrow will be about boggarts, and possibly dealing with one. And since this school is dead set on sticking Gryffindorks with Slytherins together-"

'Not that i'm complaining'

"-we'll get to see what's been giving Draco the creeps all along! Great, no?" She watched Hermione take it in, brows furrowing before she chewed on the end of her pencil, looking down.

"I guess so… feels a bit public though… exposing someone's worst fears for everyone to see…" She shuddered and Daphne's smile softened, as she pulled a chair next to the thought frenzy Gryffindor.

"Mione, so what? Lupin will teach us the counter, so it'll be sort of like a therapy yeah? I know it's scary but facing it might make it a little less daunting, just like you did back in first year. You were pretty brave you know, and Gryffindor himself would be proud. Ugh… I think I barfed a little in my mouth when I said that... I'll leave the mushy talk to Cho or Harry next time." She smirked successfully when she pulled a small chuckle from the Gryffindor whose shoulders lost some of their tension.

"Besides, you won't be the only one facing their fears, so if you think anyone would make fun of you or treat you poorly, just remember you possess mutual blackmail." Daphne ended in satisfaction, patting Hermione's back as she sighed in resignation.

"Do you ever stop thinking like a Slytherin?"

"Do you ever stop recklessly endangering your life like a Gryffindor?"

"Touché."

'So maybe Daphne is still a little sore about that vault incident, and the Basilisk incident… and the running away from home alone escapade… and a few other things.'

'A few? More like a ton.'

'Alright! Nosy…' Hermione snickered at Daphne's indignant expression before the latter lightly shoved her and swiped away the sheet music the brunette was poured over, waving it tauntingly at the brunette, whose turn came to be indignant.

"G-give that back!" She whined as Daphne slowly backed away, grinning wolfishly.

"You're going to have to chase this nosy person to get it, squirt."

"For Merlin's sake Daphne- no wait!" She barely had time to contemplate her option as she blonde was out of there, quick on her feet as always.

"Fine, I'll bite…" She growled lowly before dashing off silently in turn, leaving behind loads more scores strewn across the table, Natsu peeking out of her small backpack and making sure no one walked by to nab anymore.

* * *

"Damn it Draco… imitating a mime won't do you or any of us any good at all." All Draco responded to Pansy's half irritated murmurs was a shrug and a turn of the head, only sparing the newly entering occupants a split second glance before turning to the professor and ignoring his long time friend's meaningful looks and concerned inquiries. He had enough of that from his mom, his godfather, and the stupid nosy headmaster who clearly didn't bother keeping his legilimency covert- even Daphne had the decency to read as little as possible, hopefully nothing, if he was lucky.

Draco bowled over his thoughts, conscious wiping them away like a tsunami only to reveal a suspiciously blank slate, and put on a mildly interested façade for their DADA lesson, and to get Pansy off his case.

With a small wave of Lupin's wand, the doors shut, the noise disrupting whatever motions and side conversations the students were having and diverting all their wide and curious eyes to him, a delicately carved closet slightly taller than him to his right, and a gramophone to his farther left.

With the light coming in from the windows gently caressing the professor's half of the room, it made for an interesting scene many a painter would take a shot at.

"Good afternoon class. Today, we'll have hands on experience against a creature classified as dark in the wizarding world. Nothing that would put you in danger, of course." He quickly reassure some of the students who were tensing up and resisted a smirk when they audibly sighed in relief.

"Now, does anyone know what a boggart is?" The perplexed looks he received from some of the students in front was not a promising start. Somewhere in the middle of the crowd, his sharp ears- thanks to his furrier side- picked up a small curse word and some hushed snickering before some small shoves and scuffling of shoes. He looked at the source to see Hermione and Harry slightly shoving each other, hands locked down in a thumb wrestling while Daphne, infinitely amused, noticed the professor's eyes and quickly nudged Harry to look back up at Lupin.

Goodness, did the boy have his mother's eyes…

"Ah, Harry, yes."

"A boggart, is erm, well, it takes the shape of your worst fear when you come face to face." He dished out the answer, fidgeting, many of the other students doing the same once they realized what they were to face by the closet that just rattled and startled several Gryffindors and Slytherins, alike.

"5 points to Gryffindor. Now, quiet down, class. As your professor, it is my job to teach you how to face such fears, and that is with the spell 'Riddkulus'." He went through the movements of the spell, making sure every single student got the wand movements right, and soon instructed the students to file in, with harry, Hermione and Draco fighting to get the last place in line.

"I kind of wish they'd come and take me to the hospital now."

"Oh please, Mione, you know nothing ever works out the way you plan it."

"Gee, Daph, your words warm my heart."

"At least Draco's showing some life." Daphne was rewarded with an acrid glare from the blonde, whose bags and vicious sneer genuinely made him look half intimidating to the barely taller blonde, as she sheepishly smiled, hands brought up as a placating gesture.

"Okay, still a bit sore. Completely understandable." Seeing other students starting to glance in their direction, her back straightened up and she shifted in her ice princess persona, throwing her own glare at the nosy students.

They looked away almost immediately, and back to the unamused professor.

"How about we start from the back… Ah Ronald, since you came in late, how about starting us off?" Ron, standing on the side, nodded, ignoring Harry while his arms crossed. He stepped up to the front, wand at the ready, frowning determinedly. He seemed like the picture of confidence, had his hand not been trembling.

'Why is Ron so… serious? He didn't look at me either…' Harry frowned lightly, watching the professor unlock the closet painfully slowly, right before a chaotic blue of motion followed, and before them stood an adult, body similar to Mr Weasely's, if not more hunched, but face reminiscent of a much older Ron with stubble, downturned lips and eye bags that could rival those Severus wore- heck the Boggart's frown could also rival the professor's. Around him hung a literal cloud that spurted rain, and he couldn't use his small ripped suitcase to shield from it. He embraced the misery, doing nothing but scowl and grunt.

Everyone stared perplexed at this not at all frightening figure, only Harry at first noticing Ron shaking. With rage. His breathing getting heavier.

Then the voices came in.

'Why look, it's the MoRon!'

'Ah the Weasely boy that failed the auror exam? Which son was he again? I keep forgetting.'

'The one that failed to get into the National Quidditch team?'

'I'm shocked he managed to keep a desk job, let alone graduate.'

'He was friends with The Famous Golden Quartet- any idiot would pass if they hung out around them for long.'

"Enough…" He muttered, trying to shut out the voices crowding around both adult Ron and young Ron. The more they spoke, the more they seemed merged, layers of voices from Ron's significant others: his brothers and parents', his teachers' and friends', along with one or two anonymous ones. They rose in volume, their tone mocking, accusative. Pejorative.

'Still, what a disappointment for a Weasely. His elder brothers and younger sister got all the smarts, wits and talent and left the poor sod in the dust.'

'Can't even manage a family without losing the wife to a couple of affairs-'

"Riddikulous! Riddikulous! RIDDIKULOUS!" He screeched as his prepubescent voice cracked, stabbing the wand at his older self once he nailed the spell's movements, desperately thinking of anything besides the pathetic future glaring right at him, only to come up with nothing. Nothing until all motion around the boggart- raindrops, voices, ruffling cloak- ceased, as if suspended in time.

Ron chanced a sigh of relief before half the air remained inside the boy in shock as the boggart snapped its head up to look straight into his eyes. And he sneered at the boy, brusquely walking towards him with the intent to harm. Everyone backed away, speechless as she scene while Ron stumbled to the floor, face seconds from leaking tears and feet prepared to kick away the man, when he felt the soft, warm wood of his wand in his hand, a wand that grounded his frazzled consciousness back to the present. Absentmindedly tightening his grip around it, he looked up at his Boggart with detached caution, numb and detached from the ensuing events of the past 60 seconds.

He channeled Fred and George with all his might, halting the Boggart in its tracks with one final Riddikulus that was nearly inaudible. Still, it did the trick. The boggart straightened in surprise, red, white and yellow paint appearing on its face like shifting scales from left to right, a hilarious frown as far from intimidating as possible, its old tattered briefcase morphing into a large cube with a twisting handle. The now clown in a pink trenchcoat curiously twisted it, a small tune whizzing out of the curious multicolored box before a small purple jester popped out of it, smacking the clown onto its long red nose and sending him tripping back into the closet that shut tight as soon as its humongous clown shoes were squeezed into the charmed confinement.

The only thing ringing in the air was the childish melody from the box, silence reigning over the ranks of students. No one could muster a laugh after witnessing this dark and unexpected snippet of their supposedly happy-go-lucky classmate.

If anything, the clown was more ironic than humorous, save for one or two students with a fear of clowns.

"Well then, that wasn't so hard. Who wants to go next?"

The unanimous step back from Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, eyes wide and frowns skeptical made him think he might not have responded ideally.

He had one hell of a DADA lesson on his hands.

* * *

Hello again, dear readers! You might have realized this chapter is pretty late from the weekly/ biweekly update, since I had a concert just two days ago I had exhausted myself for, which went great (and gave me some great ideas for MG music development :))

I sure hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be interesting for all of us I believe, as I try to really depict each student's fear accurately and maybe some.

As always, I deeply appreciate the reviews, favs and follows, and also feel free to let me know if you found anything worth correcting.

Thanks for sticking around and stay safe!

(Also for those starting school again, please stay sane :P)

-Ramela


	6. Chapter 6

"Well then... That wasn't so hard now. Who wants to go next?" lupin asked in nervous excitement, only to hear a collective stomp back from all the students who stared at him and the rattling old closet with wary eyes.

'Perhaps that wasn't the best approach.'

"Now students... You saw how Ronald confronted his fear. How do you feel Mr Weasely?"  
The boy had long since stopped shaking, lacking the usual playful glint in his eyes when they swept over the students, some even flinching, until they landed on the professor.

"Better, professor." It was quiet. And yet, anything but subdued. While most of the students, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, thought he had snapped, very few like Harry and Remus saw something snap into place instead. Hermione also saw the last push to make him grow up- even Daphne begrudgingly acknowledged it, despite the mind scarring approach. In a way, witnessing him come out mentally unscathed for the larger part did give the little Gryffindor some courage. Just a little.

She glanced sideways to see Harry clench his fists in preparation to volunteer next, as a show of solidarity with Ron, with whom he's been distant lately, perhaps due to the fears that he had just witnessed from the fiery Gryffindor. But then, Lupin spoke up to beckon Neville to the center, unluckily nudged forward by a skittish Blaise Zabini.

The plump brunet summoned all the courage he had in his reluctant, quaking body to step forward without tripping over his feet, throat so dry had he opened his mouth sand and cacti would come spilling out.

"Now Neville, focus on the spell and remember that fear cannot get to you unless you allow it to. Think of something funny to will it away." He opened the closet with a swish of his wand. And out of the shadows swaggered the one and only woman with the loftiest position within Voldemort's ranks amongst all his minions, past and present, wand twirling in her black manicured fingers with claw-like nails, sharpened and polished to tear his throat out. Hermione didn't know if Neville screamed or not, but her thrumming ears told her most of the class at least did.

And what shrill screams! Horrid ear bleeding screeches- though still sounding better than that horrid woman's cackling. The way she brandished her wand already provoked Hermione as she growled instinctively, baring nonexistent fangs and reaching for her wand. Heck, the death eater wasn't even breathing in her vicinity.

She stopped reacting when Neville snapped, incoherently screaming out a barrage of repulsos and expelliarmuses that converged like a boomerang onto the boggart, blasting it all the way across the field and crashing into the dummies in the far end of the room. The students' fears were easily replaced with slack jawed surprise. Even Professor Lupin didn't expect the timid boy's spells to pack such an explosive punch.

Nevertheless, he only stopped cold for a moment before rushing to it as it rose with unsettling smoothness nearest to some Slytherin students standing a ways further from the group of students. One of them, a girl in pigtails, was Tracey Davis who Daphne barely associated with but was on good formal terms. The racket the boggart made while shaking off debris spun everyone's heads to the scene of the wreckage, expecting the insane escapee to ferociously jump back at Neville.

Except it wasn't Bellatrix that appeared. Their eyes couldn't believe it when streams of water materialized out of thin air and swirled around the broken pieces of wood, converging in one huge semi sphere of water, half the size of Hagrid. Its surface flattened initially before huge and violent waves raked across it as a miniature copper ship slowly sank to the bottom, passengers perishing with it while their shrill calls for help whirled around the room and died like the uncontrollable tempest had.

At first, Tracey could only stare at it with glazed eyes, mute despite her mouth gaping like a fish. She was deaf to Mr Lupin's tentative calling of her name, but was stirred by a nudge from her friend behind her.

"R-right... R-ridikulus!" It was efficient- the sinking boat twisted round and round into an unrecognizable blur, finally slowing as a rubber duck lay in its place, happily swimming with its palmers flapping back and forth and dipping in and to spit out small jets of water like fountain sculptures, making some of the shaken students chuckle and even Tracy herself crack a weak grin. Once again, Lupin dragged the boggart into the closet, facing the students with a sliver more confidence.

"Neville. The boggart can never hurt you. You are the one with the power, and mustn't let it influence you. Remember that next time. Take a seat and have some chocolate, you'll feel better." He gently placed his hand on the boy's back as Neville demurely walked to a bench to catch his breath, clearly shaken.

Some replies of encouragement and praise, coming from Gryffindors and even a Slytherin or three that conveniently forgot their long standing rivalry, made Neville's shoulders lose some of their tension, his breathing stabilizing as he nodded, surprised and worn out. This phenomenon infinitely intrigued Hermione as she contemplatively rubbed her chin, while Daphne smirked, both amused and pleased with this interclass development.

"It seems shock therapy is a grand method to make friends." She muttered to the short brunette who couldn't help her scoff.

They looked around the room, noticing the sharp divide between green and red begin to blur as all the students instinctively stood closer to each other, causing Daphne to smirk.

"You Gryffindorks are a bunch of scaredy cats."

"And you slytherins are all talk." Hermione threw back with a small grin of her own, looking more amused than icy or taunting. Daphne had to teach her friend proper taunting skills, and sass mastery… but that will have to wait, as she saw a bunch of Gryffindors badgering Dean to go next, Seamus doing his best to convince the cool headed Gryffindor.

"Give it a go, Dean! Can't have the snakes one-up us in bravery!" He whispered with a conspiring grin, playfully nudging his best mate with his elbow, Dean shrugging him off, very unamused.

"Knock it off, Seamus! You know I don't like talking about it- much less seeing it right in front of me." he muttered, shivering when troubling flashes of dark alleyways, distant sirens and sharp painful stings whizzed through his mind. Seamus began to hesitate when he saw the trepidation making the usually confident teen stumble and look away from the closet with a small frown- not the kind of frown he'd get when pouring over his sheet music of homework, nor the kind he'd give Seamus when the latter was about to fashion another explosive material- but the kind he wore when he'd get scolded by his mum for not cleaning his room or when some pureblooded parents talk down to him. He'd get pretty sullen afterwards. It wasma frown Seamus never liked seeing on his best mate's now ashen complexion.

"Well… if you're that insistent…"

"Dean was it?" The professor looked to the Gryffindor with hopeful eyes- half praying the boy's fears won't scar anyone for life.

"Bugger…" He muttered, briefly making eye contact with the professor before staring back at the daunting closet, tension inside him building up until he eventually just wanted to get it over with. It all took about two seconds for him to get fed up.

With a deep breath he acquired from all his trumpet playing, he resolutely stomped forwards with knuckles clutched tightly, ready to duke it out, glaring at the door with fire in his eyes fierce enough to rival Hermione's anger fueled bursts. The cheers behind him, with Seamus's the most boisterous among them, made him crack a tiny grin before he marched on to a few meters from the furniture, feeling a little confident.

'I'll show it… yeah, it won't be so bad, I bet! Tracey's wan't too daunting… must've been pretty sad for her to watch that though… Neville nearly went bonkers- focus!' He palmed his wand, ignoring his sweating palms as he licked his lips, adopting a fight or flight stance.

'Now or Never then.'

With a click, the closet creaked open, but only by a mere inch or two. All the students, as quiet as a mouse, frowned confusedly, beginning to mutter when nothing happened. Only Seamus noticed Dean's wand arm shaking. Some of the gay students were about to joke being in the closet was the fear itself, until a hand snapped out of the furniture in question and commanded every set of eyes' attention to it. This thin, pasty white and clawed hand slithered out of the abyss and held onto the rim tightly enough to crack some of the wood, most students gasping dramatically at it, and Dean gulping as silently as he could without choking on his saliva.

The clammy, unnaturally long arm slowly pushed the door open, stepping down painfully slowly, each step thrumming through the room like a heartbeat. A heartbeat he lacked, if Dean guessed his own fear right- not that he could think straight enough to do that.

Dean's gazed travelled from the floor where the black cloak completely covered that abomination's feet and slowly travelled upwards, the gossamer fabric reminiscing Harry of a dementor's garb.

He wasn't sure where his legs ended and abdomen started; The only visible patches of skin were from the neck up, after the suit sticking to him like second skin sealed off at his veiny, translucent neck. The only hint of activity on the man was the fact that he blinked- though few noticed the beady little glowing orbs in the first place, too fixated on the impressive set of black rings the creature's eyes sported, spelling eons of sleeplessness. He looked like he hasn't wasted a second on beauty sleep, or on brushing the few wisps of greyed hair hanging off his rotting head.

Still, there was one thing he clearly did brush. And brushed meticulously. It was also that same thing he brushed that rendered Dean squeamish and speechless, pulled back in time to his one brush with death.

Two long, razor sharp, pearly white fangs.

From the widening grin on the vampire's face, it looked like it had already begun feasting on the paralyzed Gryffindor's terror. All the other faint squeals and startled yelps of 'vampire!' and 'bloodsucker!' fell deaf on its pointed ears. Only his next meal's delicious adrenaline fueled fluids mattered.

Watching the boy's wand arm twitch as he barely restrained himself from urinating, the vampire licked its cracked lips, having color- red- only dur to the dried residual blood of previous victims he had the... chance of encountering.

"Hello again, child." Dean cursed, backing away electrified, movements jerky and uncharacteristic of his suave nature as the vampire advanced with near leaps of footsteps, no longer able to watch his food without cruelly mocking his insatiable appetite.

"D-dean! Use the spell!" Seamus croaked out, barely snapping out the fleeing Gryffindor, and looking back at the vampire as he became cornered, he forced his thoughts to converge and muscles to still, directing his agitation, adrenalin and terror towards brain power.

'What the hell could make a vampire funny?' His lips quivered as the vampire was now only a couple of feet from him, smile so large it boasted a full set of sharp glinting teeth in display. They were so numerous Dean would have probably confused them for shark teeth. He felt a heart attack coming just from looking at them.

'Look away!' He could only look down, as all other angles of his vision were overcome by the beast, and all he could pour his focus on was its black cloak fluttering so animatedly behind him. With such a long cloak, it was begging to be stepped and tripped on.

'That's it!'

Without sparing a second thought, Dean jabbed his wand at the vampire's chest just as its clawed hands gripped ahold of his shoulders with a steely resolve and anticipation, making him yelp and give it all he had not to drop his wand and claw his way out of the caging grip.

"Expelliarmus! Riddikulus!" Cast in succession, Dean then watched confusion wash over the creature's face with his fangs out ready to sink into his prey. He frowned, livid his food was toying with him, before he stomped forward hard enough to cause a small crater in the floor. This time, Dean wasn't afraid to look into its eyes. Surprise was the final expression the magical creature wore before tripping over and getting tangled into his own cloak. it didn't stop there, since the vampire restlessly rolled around, wrapping himself in the black cloak more and more, shrinking and thinning until all that rolled to a stop was a small black licorice stick all eyes in the room stared at wordlessly.

A snort broke the silence, and Seamus realized it was Dean himself who stared losing his composure, dissolving into chuckles at the piece of candy that had almost made him piss his pants, the rest of the class following the wildly relieved boy's laughter. Even professor Lupin let out a chuckle and quipped.

"Would you like a bite?"

"It's all yours, sir." Dean wheezed out, grinning victoriously at Seamus who slapped his back in congratulations while the professor levitated the sweet back into the charmed closet.

"That was easier than taking _candy_ from a baby, am I right?" Daphne discreetly muttered to Hermione with a cheesy grin that the brunette snorted at, before playfully pushing the pun loving blonde forward.

"You are insufferable, you know that? Why don't you go next, miss high and mighty?" Hermione taunted lightly, quite curious to see discomfort cracking Daphne's expressionless mask before she retorted icily with "I'd ask you the same."

'I'm not the one making light of fighting away one's fear with a lowly _pun._ Even for a Slytherin, that's just cruel.'

'Take it back! My puns aren't lowly! They're the best thing since nimbus 2000s!'

'Make me.'

'You'll regret it later, Mione.' Daphne smirked, eyes glazed as who knows what passed behind the girl's mental shields strong enough even Hermione couldn't poke holes through them.

'Probably another prank to one up me with...'

As giddy as always after playful banter with her playful friend, she turned back to see Lupin praising a pale Dean leaning tiredly but very happily on Seamus's shoulder as they sat on the bench at the end of the room, before the professor's eyes swept over many of the students, finally landing on Hermione. The student in question hadn't noticed, too busy stealing glances at a recovering Neville and catatonic Draco kneeled on the floor at the back of the classroom, a mere breath short of getting a panic attack. Pansy immediately felt the change in demeanor once Bellatrix had come out of the closet and was immensely confused- still, she quickly cast a notice me not charm on them while she knelt beside him, trying to pry away his hands from his face with a much more gentle approach than her 'bulldozer' one before.

That relieved Hermione a tad bit- Pansy sure knew how to handle Draco, unlike any of them at the moment.

Speaking of the moment, she felt Daphne tense up before her hand shot up, staring at nothing else but the closet. Not at Lupin. Not at the students who were silenced by her icy voice so quickly a pin drop would echo throughout the room. And certainly not at Hermione.

"Miss Greengrass." He uttered hesitantly, pleasantly surprised a student volunteered before he picked the first student in mind.

"By all means, go ahead if you're prepared." He graciously ushered her towards the closet as the students split like the red sea to make way, the volunteer's slow and measured footsteps echoing through the high ceilinged room like a beating drum

With a tense nod, the professor twisted the lock, and with the blood pumping in her ears, all she heard was her own breathing she willed to slow to a crawl, cooling down her senses.

'Keep your cool.'

The door creaked open, all the students holding their breaths as the seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly.

'Keep your cool.'

Before some bent their heads in confusion, hissing noises surrounding the room had some yelp, startled. That ominous, threatening hiss, while terrifying, was also scarily familiar. Without noticing it, students started to huddle together, hands reaching for their wands.

'Keep your cool.'

Daphne hadn't moved an inch, as still as a stone figure but wand ready to fire spells faster than Ron can devour a pumpkin pie, when she saw Hermione near the closet, followed by Cho and Harry walking beside her.

'Keep you- what the-'

"Guys get away from there!" She yelled at them, approaching, trying to keep her calm composure despite the lightest crack in her well-practiced cood voice and demeanor, hands itching to pull them away from whatever was about to slither out.

The three just stared at her with light confusion, wands in hand, before they looked away.

'What the- are they mute? Huh, when did Hermione take her sweater off? And why is her shirt so dirty-?"

The split second it took to distract Daphne was enough to catch her off guard as huge teeth appeared out of nowhere and sunk into Hermione's shoulder, brutally ripping at her with force so momentous that her right arm was left behind on the floor while she was slammed into the side wall of the room, venom flying, the snake pinning- no, crushing her- as it took the chance to sink its fangs into the incapacitated, unmoving vessel, ripping her apart like shreds of fleshy bloodied confetti with bits and pieces of the girl's organs sullying the floor, while blood quickly pooled around the long since dead girl.

She couldn't even breathe, tell herself anything at all as her closest friend standing before her was mauled, leaving behind nothing but a limp arm lying uselessly on the floor, wand rolling away from it to a silently deafening stop.

In the distant back of the classroom she heard some students thump to the floor fainting or losing their breakfasts. She herself was about to somehow do both, when Harry and Cho tried to intervene, only for the basilisk to flick them away like a pestering mosquito. At least they weren't squished like one- but everyone heard the collective cracking of several bones, as the two students crashed into the test dummy and skidded farther back until they rammed into the wall, limbs bent in odd positions and some blood starting to leak from the broken bones that pierced their skin.

They stopped moving too. And they hadn't even managed a single plea for help, or a cry of agony. No wheezing, frowning and yelling. Nothing at all from the dead three that may as well have been emotionless husks- soulless puppets.

Yet, Daphne processed none of that. All her processing ceased the moment she watched Hermione be reduced to mush. Watch the friends she hoped to build a future with, to live out her school life with, disappear in a heartbeat.

And she was completely useless.

Again.

She couldn't quite remember what happened after that, not the shrill cries of other students, or roars of the professor, begging her to stop.

She was pretty sure she had blacked out. All she could see was the snake that took away the people she loved dearly, and considering she rarely did such a thing- loved people- well… she's not sure she's coping at the moment.

She didn't register hands wrapping around her stomach and crying out, pained and desperate, until that dying voice started pulling her out of her hole. Whoever it was, whatever they did, it worked.

Still, despite everything she just saw, it still came as a shock to Daphne when her eyelids groggily fluttered open to find ice encasing all that lay before her, save for the professor who had barely cast a protego, but still slipped on the ice.

The terrifying basilisk was frozen in its intimidating glory as it was in the midst of turning around to face Harry and Cho, its sharp and long, venom dripping yellowed fangs in full view for the students to back away from even further with enough panic to trip over their own feet, barring those already out cold from shock or fear.

Those conscious enough then stared back at Daphne with newfound wariness and fear, as well as some gratefulness for stopping the beast. But others gasped with worried mutters. All of it slipped past the weary yet awestruck Slytherin, who blankly stared at her hands, still letting off some cold mist.

She caused this? Looking down, she also noticed two hands wrapped around her waist, projecting a fading warmth. The warmth extended to her back, and she only just registered someone halting her from freezing all that lay in her wake. She might as well do that. Maybe the numbness will feel better than the brutal ripping of her heart she can't fathom coping with.

She began to let out more cold when the person stuck to her like glue shivered even more violently, letting out a strangled whimper. The familiar voice was like a stab to Daphne's slowly freezing heart that nearly cracked it open, much like how her voice cracked when she uttered garbled nonsense, grabbing the rigid arms and turning around to Hermione, fingertips turning blue and frost coating her hair- not to mention her nose running and teeth chittering so vigorously it was a wonder they hadn't broken yet. But, once again, Daphne forgot to process the details, and she only saw her friend who had just been violently torn apart, outright slaughtered, standing before her, very much in one piece and very much alive.

'Keep your cool.'

She noticed Harry and Cho urgently but cautiously sliding across the ice towards the two, not one bone poking out of their lithe bodies. Hadn't they just been crushed to death by the snake's tail?

'Keep…Keep your cool.'

Her eyes rolled to the back as she unceremoniously collapsed to the floor in a fainting spell.

"…How about we postpone this session for another time?" The professor's voice hitched as he smiled nervously, valiantly trying not to slip on the ice.

Another thud and Hermione was too on the floor, shivering and moaning from the frostbite crawling up her fingers and nose, right before bedlam settled among the students who either exited as quickly as magically possible, their incoherent yells booming across the castle walls, or wheezed and muttered nonsensically inside the room. Harry and Cho were muted and terrified- Remus would have that face too if he witnessed his own death play gorily out less than 5 feet from him. Though it still didn't prevent them from valiantly tending to their two friends and levitating them on the way to the infirmary, the established habit of saving each other taking over their neural circuits within a split second.

Remus himself absentmindedly took over the levitation spell to accompany them, wondering how many glasses of whisky from Minerva's storage he could down to forget this disaster of a lesson.


	7. Chapter 7

"W-where… am I?"

A groan stretched out to her left. She herself sighed from the soreness that seeped into her very bones.

"I'd know those white walls anywhere. It would help if you opened your eyes Daph." A pleasantly familiar voice rasped out, its owner clearing her throat.

"... Not in the mood Tori… I had a bloody terrifying dream about freezing everybody's asses off after… something... wait, you're not Tori… your voice isn't as grating and squeaky as hers…" She slowly regained her bearings, pushing her straight hair out of her face and groggily turning to the source of the voice, who was stiffly lying on a lavender hospital bed less than 2 feet away from her.

"Hermione…" She whispered, staring bemusedly at the bushy haired brunette, who tiredly stared back at her friend.

"Wait- H-hermione!? What's going on? Why are we both in hospital beds?" She was sitting up in a flash, blanket thrown off her chilled body.

"About that 'dream' of yours…" Hermione started off with a careful lilt to her voice, trying not to bowl Daphne over with the most recent and traumatizing highlights of the week. Though judging by how the blonde's eyes widened, and how hands cradled a face that gradually morphed into speechless shock, she no longer needed a hand in recalling.

Hermione was hoping Daphne would handle the news well, thus seeing tears start to pool as she shook like a fallen leaf while gazing at Hermione with a heartbroken expression made the Gryffindor's own turmoil spike. How is she supposed to comfort a crying girl? She couldn't even comfort her cat when the feline threw hissy fits!

"U-uhh… hey, come on now!" Cracks were heard as Hermione's body groaned in protest while she carefully positioned herself to sit up, the covers slipping from her lithe frame and pooling at her waist. This wasn't a good move, as her friend actually squeaked, freezing and staring in horror at her blued arms, her mind going haywire, blasting off in a million directions, all of them involving unhealthy tons of guilt Hermione immediately strove to destroy.

"Daphne Greengrass, don't you dare blame yourself! They're just side effects from the chill that my fire's already working on melting!"

"B-but Mione- " At this point the blonde couldn't even look at Hermione and stared down at tear stained covers, biting her lip to keep from spewing obscenities at these damned lapses of control… and from crying in front of the brunette. Such a thing would be terribly unsightly and undignified... something Draco would say.

"Nope! I'm not going to hear it!" She vehemently shook her head, yet stubborn glare fading away when the brunette's words failed to stop tears from leaking down her friend's cheeks, droplets already drying from the spelled bed sheets.

"Ah… I can't quite move well enough yet, but…" She grunted to herself, wiggling her toes and unfolding the folding her knees like a machine in dire need of some oiling. The movement smoothed out after a couple of times of repeating the ministrations, and so she inhaled sharply, turning ninety degrees as her feet hung off the bed, big toes barely grazing the cool marble floor before shivering. Shook it off. She couldn't stand seeing Daphne- or any of her precious friends- cry.

With one hand grasping the bed post, she made her first step on her partially numbed limbs, sighing in relief as they supported her enough to awkwardly wobble to the blonde's bed like a penguin going up its hill to dive.

The pitter patter sound on the tiles made Daphne reluctantly turn to the noise, and before she could register what was going on, Hermione exhaustedly plopped onto the blonde's bed, legs still hanging out and on the floor, her expression victorious despite the signs of strain on her sweaty haggard face.

"See? I'm perfectly fine!" The cough and labored breathing didn't spell out fine to Daphne.

"Merlin… what the hell Hermione…" Daphne muttered, snapped out of her sullen brooding as she held the small brunette under her arm pits to pull the other half of her body onto the creaking mattress. She groaned at Hermione's smug expression, as she had no other choice but to stare straight into the Gryffindor's gleaming chocolate brown eyes.

It was more embarrassing to be in this pitifully teary and snotty state than expected. Next thing she knew, two warming hands were wrapped around her waist and back as her senses were overwhelmed, no, soothed, by waves of brown bushy hair that smelled of roses and ashes.

"I'm hurt you'd feel embarrassed about crying in front of me…" The brunette calmly muttered in turn, breathing returning to normal as she focused on the scent of mint and pine trees.

"I…I panicked again. It was path-" Her voice hitched, quaking along with her body.

"You weren't the only one. If I were in your place, I don't think there'd be a classroom left to practice with the boggart, much less a closet to trap it in…"

"I know…but-"

"You didn't freeze like the last time either! You actually froze the boggart! Who can ever say they did that?" She retorted, and Daphne didn't need to look at her face to know she was smirking.

"…After you, Harry and Cho had to witness your own deaths…" She bit out but regretted what she said a split second later when she felt Hermione let a shiver loose.

"W-we're fine. Harry and Cho are practicing at the dueling club as we speak, and I'm already warming back up." The dead silence from Daphne still harbored traces of uncertainty. She just stared at the blue patches along Hermione's arms.

"I'll p-prove to you my hands are fine. First thing we'll do when we break out is head to the music room, and I'll show you how my hands were completely unaffected. We'll even get some practice in for our upcoming opening of the club. Sound good?"

Faced with her best friend's icy silence, Hermione forced a grin, fishing for a reluctant acquiescence, knowing- hoping- deep down Daphne would burst with excitement at playing her precious viola, or simply bask in the calming scent of the music room and bathe in the pleasant musical memories they've weaved. She'd rather anything occupy Daphne's mind, even anger at her, than the crushing guilt from the Basilisk incident.

"Did I hear someone say 'breaking out?'" A sharp voice cut into their moment and Hermione let a screech loose before breaking away from the hug and hiding behind Daphne, blanket wrapped around her, all with dizzying speed.

"What the- Mione?"

"It's her again…"

"Hello, Madame Pomfrey." She courteously nodded to the medic who smiled at the Slytherin, before glaring at the cowering Gryffindor behind her.

"Despite the circumstances, I'm very pleased Miss Greengrass delivered you to your yearly treatment. I dare say, it's almost as if you're avoiding your appointments!"

"Gee, I wonder why…" The brunette sniped back, sneering at the smirking nurse while Daphne mustered a small grin.

* * *

"Alright, turn around." The two duelers did as told by Master Dueler Flitwick, pushing down their urge to grin at each other. Perhaps in the palpable silence the students surrounded them in, their mere act of their muscles stretching would be louder. Only a grin broke loose on Harry's face when he blasted a repulso faster than many of the spectators could blink. Others couldn't wrap their heads around how Cho scoffed while sidestepping it with casual ease, throwing her own grin at Harry before firing her own creative barrage of spells he countered playfully. He wished his two other friends were here to see how much he and Cho had approved. He bet they could take Daphne and Hermione on and win! And Ron... he really wished Ron were here too. It never occurred to him how he had unintentionally been neglecting his favorite red head, until the latter pointed it out. It didn't feel like he did anything wrong.

'If Ron says I hurt him then I don't have the right to deny those feelings. So now...'

He needed to make it up to him somehow. Letting his eyes flit across the crowds, and missing a single speck of fiery orange was more sobering than he thought. He could feel the emptiness left by his absent friend. It almost hurt more than the expelliarmus Cho just blasted him with during his crucial moments of inattention.

"Harry, what did we say about daydreaming? Especially whilst dueling Cho?"

"Sorry again, Professor..." He wheezed out, having felt Cho's annoyance from the way she threw the spell. They were building up their longest spell combo yet too.

'Right... focus with Cho now, then focus on making up... hopefully if he doesn't hate me by now... He sighed loudly, often lamenting the complications that came with having friends.

He wondered how many muggle sweets he'd have to get to start appeasing his friend.

* * *

"Daphne!" Hermione weaved through the trudging students once she noticed the head of strawberry blonde smooth hair, having missed the sight for several days.

She caught up to Daphne who was flanked by Pansy and Draco. Pansy's glare lifted slightly while Draco's darkened, and both clearly projected a most unwelcome aura.

Though it was Daphne's murkiness and feigned disinterest, her typical ice princess persona, that deterred her speech.

"Hey… I was wondering if you wanted to… go to the music room…"

"Not now, Hermione." She sighed, looking away from the perplexed brunette. The blonde sighed heavily, making Hermione feel like she's a burden on her friend. Her own frown materialized, out of worry and dismay.

Still, she tried to salvage the situation, rubbing her forearm while gazing up at her hopefully.

"Oh, okay, then… how about later? We could meet up with Harry and Cho…"

"I'll think about it." Clear cut, and contrite. Why was she blocking her thoughts from me? Hermione did her best to mask her own helplessness and nodded with a half-hearted smile, walking away while pensively scratching her head.

Had she… had she done something wrong? Daphne's been avoiding her this way for a week now, no longer returning her cheery smiles or waves, instead her face morphs into an expression of discomfort. If Hermione was feeling particularly mean, she'd say she looked constipated. She even called her Hermione! Daphne calls her Mione…Never Hermione!

Maybe she could talk to Cho and Harry about it… They're probably in the courtyard under the usual tree. The 'Idea Tree', Harry, expert at naming, dubbed very proudly. It was under that tree that most of the ideas for their music conservatory were formed, which Harry and Cho had been taking on the bulk of, and Hermione neglecting in favor of moping over Daphne's absence and getting scolded by Cho for her slipping grades.

It made her feel quite a bit of guilt actually. She decided to stop by the library and borrow the books necessary for her transfiguration essay, running into and greeting Luna who was walking around with a now calmer and cheerier Ginny… well calm as long as she isn't flanked by the twins and their pranking mischiefs.

Through the windows, she peeked and saw Harry taking a break, playing around with Natsu while Cho yawned, taking a small nap. The brunette paused, smiling at the sight of her two friends occupied with life's mundane gifts and mused with a hum- how to make it better? Well, what better way than with food?

She backtracked to the kitchens, greeting the elves there and asking if they happen to have any spare sandwiches or pastries. They gladly obliged, providing her with a snap of their fingers, never failing to amaze Hermione. She gathered them up in a wicker basket she transfigured from a toothpick lying around on the tables within the warm, welcoming room and headed off, walking merrily to the tree.

While Cho would have usually started off with a scolding, the sight of food and transfiguration books made her pause and she smiled at the grinning brunette, patting the spot beside her.

"Harry, Hermione got snacks!"

"Fantastic! All this running around with Natsu had me starved. Your cat is pretty uhm… 'murdery' Mione… it keeps looking around for things to kill and eat… just thought I'd let you know." He admitted sheepishly, scratching the back the head that adorned his ever messy hairdo.

"I think that's a healthy attitude for cats. As long as it doesn't target other pets… or humans…"

"Nice humans, you mean…"

"Harry please, the last thing I need is my cat being charged with homicide." Hermione had put her foot down on the damp grass before plopping down and snuggling up to Cho who was delightfully warm, wrapped up in her scarf and coat. Harry joined, hugging Cho's other side, both Gryffindors sighing contently.

"It sure is nice having a human heater…"

"Isn't that Hermione's job?"

"I'm not angry enough for that, so your normal powers will have to do." Hermione winked playfully while Cho rolled her eyes before letting a grin slip past, rubbing both her friends' heads, specifically the spot close to their necks where she knew would make them sleepy, and then, after a few minutes of piece and calm breathing, pushed them away swiftly, jolting them awake from their brief comfortable lull.

"Now let's get to work!"

"Ugh… Fine…" Hermione barely wiped the drool away with the sleeve of her black sweater before Cho took out and slammed the huge blue and pink portfolio in the center of the triangle the three formed, startling the daylights out of Hermione who jumped up almost high enough to grab onto a tree branch like Natsu.

"Merlin- Cho! You just woke us up-" Hermione flailed around her arms, un-ruffling her hair to gain some semblance of composure, interrupted by Harry's chuckle and Cho's infuriating little smile.

"You're more awake now, I hope." Despite the underlying humor, the Ravenclaw's eyes were brimming with excitement and vigor, determination to conclude the plans due next week burning without end within her gut.

"We're all serious now. Let's see what's left…"

"We've nearly planned it all out. The location of the classrooms-

"The room of requirements split into several sections"

"Instrument storage-"

"Trophy room"

"Right."

"Class times-"

"Before 12 pm classes Monday through Wednesday and orchestral practice after class, once we get to that point."

"And auditions- well not formal auditions, but just to see what instrument might suit someone if they don't already have one in mind."

"To be held in the great hall after or before dueling or in the room of requirements."

"Excellent. Posters?" They kept darting out the outline they've worked on, mentally checking they haven't missed anything.

"Being posted across the castle. I'll also post a small notice on the dormitory doors in case anyone forgets."

"Might as well mail it to them if they're going to be that daft-"

"Be nice now, they're your classmates- stupid or not. Oh, you're brooding again, aren't you?"

"Bah, forget it." Hermione shrugged off Cho's concern and the Ravenclaw sighed before reluctantly moving on.

All that's left is preparing a little something to give students an idea about what the club or conservatory will be about."

"Won't we need Daph-…." Harry stopped confused as Cho mouthed silently for him to stop, nudging her head lightly towards the slumped brunette who clutched her head in her hands, unconsciously brooding over her friend giving her the cold shoulder.

"Whoops…"

Cho shut her eyes and exhaled, opening them after a second.

"Enough of this." She muttered to herself, turning herself to face the daydreaming brunette, worriedly chewing on the end of her pencil.

She grabbed ahold of the brunette's shoulders, not too abruptly- the poor thing gets startled so badly a heart attack isn't that far of an option- but not too gently either, because if one thing Cho definitely is was clear. She said what she meant, and meant what she said.

"Hermione… please stop brooding. It isn't doing you, or Daphne any good. I understand you're trying to talk to her, coax her into hanging out with you, but if you haven't noticed from your 20th consecutive failure, it isn't working." She deadpanned, Hermione wincing at the true words.

"You need to be direct with her, and settle the issue. I can only infer what could be wrong with her. Merlin knows what pisses Slytherins off these days, but it will be something you, no, we will solve, as her closest friends." Hermione looked up hopefully at the mention of the word 'we' and Cho grinned.

"I admit, we might be part of the problem, for all I know, or if my hunch is correct. But!" Hermione straightened up again, hanging onto her clever friend's every words.

"Now is a waste of time to brood. Focus on the piece we ought to pick and practice for the students and staff. Also, if you don't raise your grades by the end of the month, I'll take away your violin."

"N-no!"

She could hear Harry and Natsu gasp while Hermione exclaimed, looking like someone had murdered a puppy before her eyes.

"Ch-cho you wouldn't!"

"Are you saying I don't hold my word, Hermione?"

'Oh shit…'

"F-fine! Just anything but that!"

'I'd hate to piss off Cho…'

'You and me both, buddy.' Harry replied to Natsu, greatly sympathizing with his properly chastised friend, but glad Cho snapped her out of her mental funk.

* * *

Hello Dear Readers!

I hope some of you are still following the story, for I assure you I haven't given up on it. Life has just been hectic for me these past few months and I'm still organizing my schedule to manage everything, writing this story included.

For those still willing to read on and follow the story, I thank you. I will keep writing for my own enjoyment and certainly for yours. And curiosity as to where this story will be by book 7. Who knows what I'll come up with :P

Any who, please feel free to leave comments and suggestions and until the Next chapter! have a good day/night and to all those celebrating the Lunar/Chinese New Year,

新年好! :D


	8. Chapter 8

For this chapter's conflict (you'll know what I mean when you get to it), I listened to Enchantress- Thomas Bergersen, and if you want some music for suspense scenes, I used Oxenfree-Catbird station (great video game by the way, would definitely recommend)

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Strong eye bag game, ice princess. Left your beauty sleep behind with your viola?"

"Bugger off Pansy."

"Huh... something really is off with you. Usually you'd retort with something wittier and less… crass. Are the boys' manners rubbing off on you? Frankly, it'd be nice for someone in this dungeon to be livelier."

"Draco's death threats and night terrors not lively enough for you eh?" She shot back, bite in her words she didn't mean to inject

"He's been casting silencing spells for weeks now." Pansy returned, looking away from her regretful friend as a guilty frown marred her face.

"…Sorry. That came out wrong…" She started, trying to meet her friend's obsidian eyes, the latter sporting her own set of eye bags. Merlin, it wasn't even exam period and they already resembled pandas.

Neither knew how to lift the heavy, awkward blanket of silence smothering the august green and glowing living room. That is, until Daphne sighed, propping her hands on her knees and tearing herself away from the cozy couch facing the windows where multitudes of creatures swam, minding their business, some occasionally bumping into each other.

"Let's go on a walk. It's a great weather today. Shame to spend it cooped up here, no?"

"Certainly."

It was- in reality- raining copiously.

Daphne reckoned, from all the spots she moped at, the best was by the lake. Pansy shrugged, wishing she had something to tear apart to occupy her hands and thoughts with.

"You've not memorized the castle by heart yet?" Daphne quipped, her voice echoing across bridge, besides their clacking shoes.

"I find no need, considering I'm not the one getting myself in life threatening situations each year."

"Oh, live a little won't you."

"Yes, exactly. At this rate, I'll be living much longer than you, you reckless pseudo-Gryffindor." Pansy's exasperation pulled a chuckle from the tired student. She opened her mouth to retort when a call of her name had her mind lose its function in a split second. A moment- the recognition of that voice she yearned to hear jovially speaking to her once more- was all it took to throw every prior thought she had out the window.

And yet, she begged every cell of her body to keep walking, and not automatically spin around to warmly greet the person running up to them.

"Look what the cat dragged in. Getting shorter Granger?" Despite the jibe at the height, Pansy smirked at the girl's bushy hair ruffling up like an angry bird's plumage as the brunette struggled to find a retort. Merlin how fun it was to tease Gryffindors.

"Y-you're just wearing heels is all- "

Well, she wasn't wrong about that.

"But anyways, I hope you two are doing well. Uhm, I actually wanted to eh, talk to you Daph, if you're not busy or anything at the moment." She nervously fiddled with the rolled parchment in her hand, looking up tentatively to meet the girl's pine green eyes. It was a wasted endeavor, for Daphne was focusing on the brunette's forehead instead, adamantly refusing eye contact.

"Sorry Hermione, but I have urgent matters to deal with Pansy."

"But, uh, it's about the music club, so I figured you'd want to start picking the piece? I have a lot of ideas for what we could do, especially highlight the viola and-"

"I said I'm busy." It killed her to stop one of Hermione's rare excited rants that had her eyes light up like fireworks on the fourth on july, and her lips stretch out just a little more into a coy smile that stuck there like glue when she spoke so fondly of something she was rarely excited about.

There was no spontaneous smile now, and even the strained ones she'd given Daphne whenever she managed to catch her gaze after several tries wasn't there. Neither was the pep in her voice.

"Look, how about you focus on your studies instead of wasting your time with the club? Unless you want to get expelled and obliviated back to that barren, parentless house you call a home. Come on Pansy."

Pansy was perplexed and speechless, her face strangely more aghast and expressive than Hermione's stone cold one with her mouth slightly ajar mid-speech, staring at the blonde's cloak billowing behind her as her back turned on her and dragged her stupefied friend away with her.

After putting a bit of distance between them Pansy harshly tugged Daphne to a stop, scolding her.

"What the hell was that about Daph? That was low, especially with her being your friend… You weren't that harsh since… I don't know... having a nasty spat with Astoria or something…"

Daphne breathed out harshly, shaking slightly. Hands covering her mouth, then going up to slide back her hair. Now she was the one avoiding Pansy's demanding gaze.

"I freaked out, okay? I can't believe I told her that…" She started tearing up, scaring Pansy even further.

Was that pint of a brunette what's been causing her friend to act out so much?

"Are you feeling like that because of… her?" At this point, it felt like saying Hermione's name would be akin to setting off a nuclear bomb.

"I-no, of course not! I just- I don't – I don't know… I don't know alright?" She yelled at Pansy, walking further towards the lake while Pansy hurriedly followed, wondering just what the hell was going through her dramatic, ice sprouting, hopeless friend's mind.

"You better have a reason. Cho and Harry might just deafen you after that."

"I'm already half tempted to flee the castle… I'm… I'm afraid."

"Of…? Hermione? I get her magic packs a punch but so does yours. I don't understand."

"Of hurting her. I, I did it once and I don't want to do it again. I heard her Pansy. I heard her play the violin one day, after what I did to her hands. She couldn't even finish her piece. She stopped, frustrated. She was forcing the melody out, all broken and weeping. Both her and the melody. I couldn't even go in and comfort her, I just fled like the coward I am. I jeopardized my past idol's musical career Pansy I can't look her in the eye without breaking down-!"

"Okay, calm down." Pansy's voice was low as she rubbed Daphne's back, the girl having given up on words and silently wracking with small sobs.

'As if comforting Draco wasn't enough… at least all he did was throw objects around the room and run around till he was too exhausted to do much besides weep. Since when did Slytherins turn into such cry babies?'

"You don't even know if it's permanent damage. We have magic for merlin's sake. Rarely anything is incurable. And all you're doing now is making the situation worse by distancing yourself. You haven't had an incident since the class-" She ignored the frost pooling around them and spreading towards the lake

"- so I don't see what the problem is if you learned to master it."

"…"

"Try talking it out with her. As annoying as I find Gryffindor swots, she's not that bad. Worth keeping around, to tease, you know? Well, her, Potter and the screeching Ravenclaw banshee."

She grinned when Daphne chortled, wiping her eyes and looking up at the sky with a migraine coming up shortly. Curse all the mucus the nose urges to run when tear ducts go loose.

"Change of topic?"

"Please." Daphne implored, sighing loudly. All this crying was simply unbecoming of her.

"Update me on Draco, won't you…" Anything sounded better than playing back the biting farewell remark she intentionally hurt Hermione with.

Speaking of the brunette, she had been standing there gob smacked for a minute or so, able to tear up but not blink, or shut her mouth.

Did… did Daphne hate her? She never burned her by accident did she? She tried showing Daphne she was perfectly fine!

"I am fine! Sh-she's stupid… no… I mean, I shouldn't call her stupid…I'm the stupid one…" She hastily wiped at tears that were already streaming down her cheeks and plopping onto the floor, becoming more frustrated with every sniffle and tremble of her lips, a sob waiting to break out. Her lungs were replaced by a ballon that kept inflating with each breath she took, waiting to pop at any uncertain moment.

'Wh-what more can I do!? I'm f-fine! I… I don't want to…' She groaned, her pained call loud and unrestrained, any flames that were forming being put out just as quickly by the sorrow that followed her molten anger like a crushing wave. She fled wherever her feet took her, not to the castle, nor the dark forest, but some ways farther, closer to the train stop that faithfully transported them to Hogwarts each year.

She couldn't fathom reaching a dead end with her friend. Especially not Daphne! Curse this stupid fire, these stupid powers and her magic! And her ice.

"Damn it all!" She screeched, throwing whatever stone lay at her feet far away, about to punch the trunk of a tree when she stopped at the last moment, too reluctant and sensitive to the damage that would impede her from playing properly. She may be livid and pissed but she still had Harry and Cho left and the last thing she wanted to do now was let them down before the opening of their club.

"Oh… Who am I kidding." She mumbled, fisted hand loosening as it settled on the aged bark, her forehead supported onto the bark too. Any flames she was exuding were snuffed out like the tip of a candle, smoke following it soon after.

"I've already let them down… without Daphne, we- I … it can't happen… can it…" She turned her back and slumped down the tree trunk

A twig breaking alerted her and she was up in a flash, sneering in the direction of the noise with fire igniting at her fingertips. How ironic that she managed to control her fire when no one was around.

"Show yourself!"

"Is it my turn to carry you out the forest now?"

"Oh, Luna…" She burrowed further into the trunk without another word, fire put out without a second thought.

"Your skill with the flame is improving I see."

"Not fast enough for the darling ice princess." She rolled her eyes, her voice raising an octave in mocking before she slapped both palms on her mouth. She didn't like this bad mouthing business.

"It's alright to be mad at your friend, Mione. She's being unreasonable and explaining very little of her behavior." Hermione had nothing to add, staring at her feet while Luna tucked her robe and skirt under her knees, crouching beside the downtrodden brunette.

"… I just want her to talk to me, again… I miss her a lot, Luna." She buried her head in her arms, while Luna rubbed circles on her back, muttering comforting nonsense as the Gryffindor wept, fury extinguished.

"This is killing her as well, Hermione, I can assure you. She's got as many Nargles if not twice the amount buzzing about your head."

"Okay, but then what?" I've done my damn best to get her attention, to pull the words of justification out of her. The whys and the hows to fix this mess…whatever it may be..."

"At least now you've learned ways that won't let you solve it. Keep thinking dear, it's one of the things you're a whiz at." She squeezed the brunette's hand comfortingly, helping her up.

"And a hefty dinner is just the thing you need to get the pixies flying around in your head. They have your favorite dessert too! Strawberries with whipped cream!"

"Oh… well, you know how hard it is for me to turn strawberries down." She put up little resistance to that, running along back to the castle with Luna, mind whirring for possible solutions all the while.

Later that night, as she saw Harry and Ron playfully wrestling for a piece of pumpkin pie, she may have been inspired to solve her own dilemma.

* * *

"Daphne Greengrass! I challenge you to a duel!"

"What in the name of Merlin?" Heads turned so fast some could hear cracks as they stared at the pint of a brunette, hollering at the blonde standing less than 2 feet away from her, in that moment trying so very hard to fade completely from her sight.

Hermione won't let this game of hide and seek and barbed comments persist any longer. If there was no other way to settle this, then they'll do it with their magic... and possibly fists, much to the brunette's lament when it came to the latter.

"I'll prove to you once and for all I'm not as weak as you make me out to be! In fact, I'll beat you, just to make a point."

"Pick your words carefully, Hermione Granger. Are you sure you want to get hurt?" Daphne spit out, doing her best to glare down the brunette, intimidate her, but Hermione knew, felt with every fiber of her magic how Daphne's was shrinking away yet trying to lash out simultaneously, and she hated it. She needed Daphne to come at her with her all, so they could truly and earnestly face each other, no more facades or covers to cower behind.

"I've never been surer of anything more." Smoke was already coming from the brunette's shoulders, and Daphne grit her teeth, shutting her eyes briefly and breathing in, then out roughly.

"Have it your way then. We take it outside. I'm not keen on getting expelled from Hogwarts for property damage. Even if the dueling club can give us their stage. I refuse to have a crowd at any cost, so leave them to their practice." She shot off her terms quickly, Hermione nodding fervently.

She hissed, half-imploring Hermione to keep a low profile, even though there was already a scarce number of students to begin with.

Her nightmare was coming true. She'd have to fight the witch she's been keeping away from so resiliently. Damn it all.

They snuck out of the great hall and past the gate, even past the Dementors through one of the secret unguarded passages, finally stopping under the Bridgeway that linked the castle to Hogsmeade.

The wind was howling, dementors' cloaks hovering, not a single creature in sight, save for a bird or two perched on barren gnarled tree branches to witness their scuffle.

"With this wind, I already have an advantage. Do you really want to go through this?"

"I'll start the count."

"… Fine! Don't go crying to me when this goes south!"

"Ha! Says the one crying constantly since our little infirmary stay!"

"Grrr… Enough talk!" She blasted an expelliarmus, wand out in a flash, as the first spell of the duel was thrown.

Hermione silently blocked it with a protego, following soon after with a spell combo that nearly had Daphne slip and trip on conjured ice. Too bad for the Gryffindor ice was just what Daphne needed, lifting the conjured sheet up to block a couple more spells, strengthening the ice with each one that hit. She then blasted some ice towards the brunette, whose fire melted it just before it collided and sent her slamming to the wall.

She daren't breathe a sigh of relief before following up with several expelliarmus spells, working on instinct and reflex rather than thought, much like Daphne. Despite their fire and ice ignoring their commands and either going off randomly, or not at all, the ferociousness of their battle was not lessened.

Yet the more spells were parried, and the more dangerous, as dangerous as it can get for thirteen years olds, the more Hermione began to feel thrill and enjoyment seep into her being, remembering all the times they dueled together in the past, shedding blood sweat and occasional tears to craft their well rehearsed dance that had them twirling and jumping around like acrobats- bless Moody's strict but effective training.

She let a grin slip past and dodged a cutting spell, chuckling as she fired her own at the pissed blonde.

"What the hell are you smirking about!"

"Isn't this fun, Daph? Sure brings back memories of fights where I'd beat you down to the ground-" She hastily dodged a couple of ice shards from the Slytherin who still managed to look poised despite the sweat and grime lining her face.

"It seems you're confusing dreams with reality- I've always been the winner- this time will hardly be any different." She seethed, annoyed at how Hermione was taking this battle lightly, after forcing her hand. Still, she couldn't regret it altogether, considering the brunette was smiling at her again. Merlin she missed seeing that smile, it almost made her forget she was fighting this witch.

The brunette harrumphed, flicking her wand as a levitation spell caught the blonde off guard enough for Hermione to follow with an expelliarmus. Despite the blonde being taken by surprise, she blocked it and retaliated with a repulso that at least threw off the levitation spell off her. She followed with several cutting spells, a couple hitting the tiring brunette. It was making her more sluggish the more they battled. Her stamina always was a blind spot Daphne and the rest never failed to take advantage of.

The brunette had finally gotten cornered to the rock tiles comprising the underbelly of the bridge, gritting her teeth as she strained to come up with a plan while Daphne approached, grinning smugly.

Before she got to cast any other spell, Hermione calmly sheathed her wand, much to Daphne's confusion.

"If you can't separate me from my wand, then this duel isn't over yet-"

"So, you'd rather I knock you out?" She fired back, tired of Hermione's foolish reasoning.

"If you can manage it." And suddenly she saw both herself and the brunette floating mid air, Hermione having the advantage of the wall she was backed up against. She pushed herself, and Daphne, unable to navigate in this zero-gravity state, couldn't evade Hermione rushing at her. The latter couldn't keep the spell for long either, so both ended up plummeting to the muddy floor, Daphne's wand thrown away from her. Both couldn't notice long enough though, as they were both panting as if they had never breathed in air before.

Daphne recovered first, and she saw the wand lying beside her.

"Unless... you deflect it from me magically, the wand is still in my possession... your... mistake, Granger." She shakily got up and grasped her wand, exhaustedly pointing it at the lying brunette.

"Yeah... It was worth trying... at least. Then again, I don't plan on taking out my wand either, so we'll just have to keep fighting, won't we..."

"...You dunce! How stupid are you to say such things at wand point!?"

"Because it's you, Daph... I'm positive you'd never do anything to hurt me."

"You and I both know that's bullshit Hermione!"

"The only thing that's bullshit is how you've been treating us…me… this whole month! As if I'm some sort of gunk stuck under the sole of your shoe!? What the hell Daphne! Even Natsu pays more attention to me nowadays, and that cat is enamoured with Harry!" She hoped the blonde wouldn't notice the tears that pricked at her eyes beneath the grime and sweat coating her face.

"What's your point- "

"My point is you owe me an apology and a damn good explanation for your behaviour!"

'Woah did I just say that...? It... it felt really nice to say it out loud. I guess this must be like what it feels to stand up for yourself.'

"An… an apology? You want a bloody apology for me protecting you?" Her hoarse disbelief grew until she screamed out the last words at Hermione, wand clutched tight in her trembling hand. She was ever grateful for the generous height difference that allowed her to stare down at the brunette who, unfortunately, was as unflinching as ever.

'When did she have the guts though?'

'Because of you, you idiot!' She was shocked by the familiar voice in her head again, belatedly realising in her exhaustion she ceased the mental barrier.

"You showed me how to face problems head on like the vigor of the first spear thrown into battle, and yet you dissolve away like a puddle now… but what I really want to say, have been dying to yell at you for a month now…" She stepped closer to the blonde, her face barely a breath away from her long-time friend's, and poked her chest, staring her down with unflinching honesty, despite her trembling lips and tremors wracking her body. Daphne didn't have the power or will to lack away anymore, after being so mentally worn down by the brunette.

"…is that you don't get to decide what hurts me. That's for me to know. That day with the boggart, I mean sure frostbite is a pain, but after facing a Basilisk it's hardly more than a nuisance." Halfway through, her voice softened as she looked into Daphne's guarded eyes, grateful to have at least, finally, made contact with those pine green eyes she's been trying to capture countless times.

"What did hurt, though, was how you shunned me afterwards… As if it was me who froze everyone's arses off."

"But y-your hands… You couldn't even play the violin properly after!" Her formed slouched at the memory, the urge to hide her face in her hands rising. Hermione caught a glimpse of the memory and was saved from yet another misunderstanding.

"Oh… you misunderstood!" She giggle faintly, much to Daphne's chagrin. At least she stopped trembling.

"It was because of you, you 'dunce'. How do you think I'd feel if one of my best friends ignored me, huh? Sure my hands are fine, but I'll recover… Remember we're magical beings, at the end of the day."

"…" She was now avoiding looking at Hermione for completely different reasons than before. Embarrassment and joy being two she felt. Embarrassed though. So embarrassed. How would she come out of this situation looking cool?

"You don't. It's important to see how you being hot headed and jumping to conclusions leads to us fighting halfway to the death, as you would dramatically put it."

"Where you always this talkative? Can't believe it's been 2 years since you've been no different than a meek little mouse." She grinned, looking back into Hermione's now flustered face as she spluttered for a proper reply. All she could do is open and close her mouth like a gaping fish, eventually just glaring at her smirking friend.

"Damn you."

"You'll have to say it with more hatred to convince me."

"So you want to fight again? Because I may look like shite, but believe me I've got some tricks up- H-hey…" She didn't expect to suddenly be pulled into a tight and warm Daphne patented hug she'd sorely missed for… well, one day without it was one day too many.

"I never wanted to fight you, not like this… I'm so sorry Hermione… this ice thing I have scares me… a lot. I just didn't want to hurt you or the other two lovable idiots." Her voice was small and scared. It made Hermione hug her tighter, inhaling the comforting scent of pine that always lingered on the girl.

"And you think my fire doesn't? Or Cho's earth? You should see how many times she nearly got us crushed by a boulder when training… I just don't think a bruise or two is a good enough reason for you to give us the metaphorical cold shoulder, Daph. I'd rather you gave me a literal one instead."

"But, I can't control it!"

"We'll learn then, just like how Cho does. Maybe you need to stop fighting it, if it's part of your magic."

"… I feel stupid we resolved this issue only after dueling."

"At least we didn't start punching each other like desperate fools. Merlin knows how that would've been in your favor." Hermione snickered, rubbing the back of her head as the two girls sheepishly looked at each other, grinning despite their grime and sweat coated faces or limbs that felt like jelly, only moments from collapsing.

"So, I suppose it's a tie?"

"I suppose so."

"As Harry would say: 'Booooring!'"

"As if Harry could take me on! I'd end that duel in 1 minute flat-" Daphne's boastings were abruptly cut off when a chill settled at the back of their necks, hearts palpitating and chill coating the moss and rocks.

"is… is he behind me now?" Daphne asked staring at her hands and wondering why she suddenly made it cold. The humor of the situation faded away as soon as she saw the color drain from Hermione's face.

"N-no… but something worse is. Run!" She hastily grabbed Daphne's hand, sprinting up the tiny hill like there's no tomorrow to get away from the approaching dementors.

"I thought you said there wouldn't be any dementors! Damn it, this way!" How come there were so many? She hadn't seen a flock this large since their 'inspection' in the train.

"There shouldn't be! Our emotions weren't remotely negative enough to attract them… What the hell?"

"No time to complain, we have to get back to the castle somehow!"

"How!? With them blocking the way-"

"There! The shrieking shack!"

"Wait Hermione what are you-"She strained to sprint as fast as the brunette, not seeing how getting trampled to death by a furious sentient tree was any better than having their souls sucked out by a dementor. With a wave of her wand, Hermione halted the tree's movements and sprinted faster than ever, after one of the creatures' bony hand grazed Daphne's shirt.

"Into the hole!"

"Hold up a sec Alice in Wonderland, do you even know where that lea-"

"Jump now, questions later!" With a swift motion, she was pushed into the hatch, Hermione joining her a heartbeat later and immediately shutting the door. She could hear the dementors outside scratching at the hatch vigorously, desperately, despite having no emotions. Simply starving for their souls. Daphne would've curled up into the dirt in her current state, had Hermione not kept her crawling, until they finally fell into an old dusty room, unfortunately falling first and the brunette accidentally elbowing her gut.

"A-howww!"

"Sorry Daph! Are you alright?"

"A bit better now that they're not breathing… or inhaling down our necks…" She remained on the floor, needing to process what had just transpired. Hermione, unlike her, was all over the place, as skittish as a dancing flame.

Someone has been coming here regularly. Smells like dogs, for some reason.

"How do you even know of this place?"

"Natsu told Harry who told me when relaxing under our idea tree one day. Natsu really likes to wander off places."

"…I see. Are you going to sit down or run around until you burn this place to the ground?"

"…" She stood still, breathing out. She hadn't realized how fidgety she had become and resisted the blush that threatened to color her cheeks.

"What now?"

"We get help."

"How?"

"Uhm… Make a patronus? I'm sure it won't take us more than a week or two to master. I have the book with me." Daphne's deadpan look turned Hermione's smile nervous.

"Kidding. I'll just ask them by mental link. Unlike you, I didn't cut it off." She kept quiet about the jab, but kept staring at Hermione as she sat in a cross legged position.

"Will… will it work underground?"

"This isn't cell reception Daph, of course it will!"

"Cell what?"

"Muggle electronic device."

"…Ah… so are they there?"

"They will be once you let me focus." Daphne coughed, sighing and looking around the room. Someone may have been staying here, but the place still looked like shite. And smelled like it too. She swore she picked up the scent of urine and grimaced. She hoped their two faithful friends could get them out of this one.

She also hoped the growl she heard behind her from the hole was purely a figment of her imagination.

"Daphne…"

"Please tell me you didn't hear that too…"

"Uhm… I did…"

"Bloody hell…"

'… We just can't catch a break…' The next thing she heard was a vicious growl and Hermione diving in front of her, intercepting whatever lunged at them. She was pushed away roughly, her skull colliding with the floorboard. Hermione was roughly pushed down by a set of clawed paws. She heard a crack and prayed it wasn't Hermione's back as it crashed onto the dusty feather and waste littered floorboard. She saw black creeping at the corner of her vision, but.

But. No not yet! She can't let that thing get Hermione- Hermione! She was reaching out to her with the last of her strength, and croaked yell escape her possibly crushed frame and Daphne couldn't do anything about it but black out like an idiot. This couldn't be the last thing she sees and hears... She can't... not... not now. Not ...like this.


	9. Chapter 9

She was mute when her eyes opened abruptly. Her head lulled left and right as she tried to dissolve the knots embedded within the muscles of her neck. She winced when she moved too forcefully, screwing her eyes shut as the pain thundered across her spine.

'Easy does it.' Good news is she had feeling of all four limbs, so it made it easier to push her torso off the dirty floor. She withheld another groan as her shoulders protested the tempting pull gravity exerted on her.

She ran her hands across her face, caring less how germ infested they were after touching the floor. She needed to rub away the haze that clouded her eyes. It was perhaps the closest she came to having 'nargles', as Luna put it.

"-Mione? Where are you?" She croaked out, looking left and right. Her friend's name. The first thing she recalled were her brown eyes. Chocolate brown eyes with widened pupils. Why were they wide? Was she scared? Startled?

What scared her? It couldn't be the ice. She didn't see a shred of it anywhere in the cluttered room. Red, on the other hand… that immediately caught her sight.

There. At the corner of her vision. By the bed post.

It was stained all the way there, and a stream trailed accross the parquet, leading to a dainty arm, its owner sitting limp with her back to the wall.

Daphne now began to hear her faintly gasping, gasping at the same pace one would breathe. Perhaps it was hyperventilation. Where that arm was limp, the other was at her throat, trying to stem the flow of blood that would have otherwise gushed out like a fountain.

The person. Her features. Her. Brown hair. So what? More than half the world's population had that. Gryffindor tie? The tie was indistinguishable- any tie at this point would be soaked red all the way through. So, what if that shade of brown eyes could be found on no other person? Coincidences exist, Daphne reasoned, amidst the wheezing that began to fade with each passing second and each droplet of blood that leaked down and added to the crimson puddle forming around the soon-to-be corpse.

No matter what, there's no possible way in Daphne's mind that- there's no way that it's-

"D-daph-"

* * *

"You hear what, Harry?" She ran to catch up to Harry who took off in a sprint amidst the clutter of parchments they were finishing up with for the club, leaving a trail of fluttering paper and feathered quills in his wake, cloak billowing behind him like a cape.

"I think- no, I'm pretty sure I heard Hermione telling me they're stuck in Natsu's hiding spot!"

"And you know where- nevermind, of course you do. That cat is enamoured with you, much like a lot of animals, actually."

"I can imagine they'd tolerate someone who didn't coo gibberish at them and talk instead."

"…Maybe so."

"You still don't think I can talk to animals, can you?"

"Well… Okay, now's not the time for this conversation. We've got a little Gryffindor to save-"

"And a tall Slytherin. Daphne's with her- she signed to me."

With the recent tension between the two, it was no surprise that Cho's eyebrows arched up sceptically.

"I can only hope they're there to make up."

"I'd rather focus on running now and ask them in person!"

"Good point. Ready the invisibility cloak- while it won't completely mask us from the dementors, it should do so partially, considering they have an especially powerful draw to you-"

"Planning on leaving the castle? In such a troubling time?" Both teens yelled out in surprise, turning around to see Professor Lupin with his arms crossed and foot tapping, looking at both students admonishingly, though still harboring that fatherly concern everyone came to know and love.

"W-well, we were- you see, erm-" Cho hated how she couldn't even make up a white lie, even more in front of figures of authority.

"Hermione told us of a new secret passage and we want to try out, promise we won't be out for too long!"

"I wasn't born yesterday, Harry, although I'll give you points for lying convincingly; I would've been fooled if I hadn't known… well, that's in the past. Now please, either tell me the truth or go back to your dormitories where it's safe."

'I guess we have to fess up. Hermione and Daphne might be mad at us for this, but better mad than in danger.'

"Hermione and Daphne are holed up in the shrieking shack because they were fleeing from dementors."

"Th-the shrieking shack!?" No sooner had they said it, that Remus took off in a swift walk, wand drawn as he went through the passageway, needing nothing more than the sight of a tarnished black cloak to yell out expecto patronum.

Harry and Cho, stupefied by the professor's sudden exit and jerky movements, followed suit, taking out their wands and sticking close to the Professor. They were still learning to cast patroni - it wasn't even in their curriculum, last time Cho checked.

Dusk had passed, and all three were shivering from the collective impact of dementors and the evening march chill. At least it kept them on their toes.

Was there anyone else they could get to help? The numbers were overwhelming! It was Cho's initial reaction, until she watched the professor swat them away like mangy flies, so insignificantly, and then she began to wonder exactly how much power Remus Lupin belied under his humble act.

It was certainly humbling for her. She even felt a bit embarrassed she didn't do anything about the occasional jibes her fellow Ravenclaws threw around about his lacking prowess- no one had seen him in action. So powerful and agile, and experienced.

Harry was gazing at the man like his new idol, and Cho had a niggling feeling he was going to search for apprenticeship contracts after- if- this situation doesn't end in shambles.

"There!" He froze the branches, quickly ushering the two inside despite his reluctance from the start to have the two tagging along- he couldn't afford to waste time ushering them back in the dorms when Sirius was alone.

'What would Hermione and Daphne think now? Would they try to attack? Would Sirius defend and harm them? Or worse would he let them end him? Harry! Imagine the shame Sirius would feel if James's son scorned him like the wretched criminal the world sees him as… It would truly be what breaks Sirius, rather than the 10 years of rotting in that cell.

Would he flee once more? And would that escape be from the truth- no, Sirius proved his honesty, if only Pettigrew was here to act as proof, as the missing link.'

The thoughts were whirling around in his head like a hurricane picking up speed, the closer he crept and crawled through the dirt towards the dim light of the shack's entrance. The yelling coming from the inside, served to do nothing but quicken his heartbeat so much it feels like it's been hooked to an unending supply of caffeine, spiked with some cocaine, beating almost as strongly as his werewolf heart.

'Merlin please let everyone be alright, please be alright-' Unfortunately, very few things tend to go Remus Lupin's way.

For the scene inside nearly brought him to his knees.

"Oh No-"

* * *

"What are you two doing here?"

"W-we could be asking you the same thing!" Seamus jumped up from the spot he was leaning on the column, pointing accusingly at the two Slytherins that stood in front of the room of requirements.

Pansy sneered at the irish student, Draco's face not changing much- he's constantly glaring at people nowadays.

Dean remained leaning on his pillar, observing the scene quietly for a tense moment before cutting off the silence as if it had never settled between the tile cracks.

"Cho and Harry asked us to meet them in 5 minutes to finalize the music club plans."

"Music club? That's right… the squirt mentioned to Daphne a couple of times."

"Squirt?" Seamus deflated from an upcoming rant as he squinted confusedly at Pansy.

"Hermione, of course." She considered it as much of a fact as, say, water was wet.

"Since when are you on first name basis with her?" Dean inquired, scratching his chin, becoming just a tad less suspicious and more curious. Pansy relaxed at the mention of the 'squirt', which, in hindsight shouldn't surprise him too much: Pansy was also Daphne's closest friend, and Hermione did have a penchant of making people like her, or want to kill her less, save for You-Know-Who.

"None of your business Gryffindorks." She fired back immediately, which riled Seamus up and made Dean scoff.

"Not worth it, Seamus. Save your anger for beating the drums."

"You? A drummer?" Draco spoke up for once, all eyes turning to him curiously, Pansy's hopefully, even.

"Yeah. Play the Barron. And the normal drums. What's it to you?"

"…Nothin'."

"Anyways, what are you two doing here?"

"Daphne called us to meet with her."

"For…?"

"None of your business."

"We told you!"

"Well we didn't force you to divulge any details- "

"Ha, typical Slytherin cunning."

"Why thank you, we're flattered."

Seamus sneered back for good measure, but unable to stare Pansy down. The girl was known to have a stare as unforgiving as a King Cobra's.

"It seems neither of our parties are showing up on time."

"Daphne wouldn't ditch. This is important." She muttered to Draco, who rolled his eyes.

"To you. I never asked for this."

Dean's ears perked up, and both he and Seamus kept quiet, looking elsewhere; it's not like they were using muffling spells.

"So what? You'd rather turn completely insomniac? Let your mind rot? Let… her, win?"

"Right, and knowing Daphne and how she was influenced by goody little two shoes mudbloo- Ow! Okay okay, Granger, she'll start throwing flowers at her, or better yet, bore her with speeches of goodness and hope. Blergh."

"…Draco, you're even starting to sound like h-"

"Don't you dare finish that. I'm- I'm nothing like that maniac and you know it!" They were hissing, the two Gryffindors not knowing how to react. In their three years of being in this castle, they had never witnessed in-fighting between two Slytherins, especially these two childhood friends who were joined by the hip.

Dean had an inkling of who Draco might be talking about, and so does Seamus. Though the latter more clearly recalled what Dean had been facing against. He never got the chance to confront his friend about that- rather Dean never cleared up the time to talk about it.

Now was a time better than any other, Seamus reasoned.

"…Hey, Dean." He nudged his best friend in the side, snapping him out of his eavesdropping on the other two, standing at the other end of the portrait.

"Yeah?"

"That day with the boggart."

"Uhuh?" He hesitated, knowing what came next.

"Why a vampire?"

" Can we leave that for another time, and possibly place?"

"…Oh! Y-yeah sure." He noticed Dean side eying the two Slytherins far too into their own business to notice the paranoia coming from Dean. While the trumpet player didn't harbor any intense hatred or even mistrust towards Slytherins, he was a boy who preferred to keep his cards close to his chest. Except when it came to Seamus of course. The latter knowing this made him feel more pleased than he'd thought.

His stream of thoughts was interrupted when an earth shattering scream very nearly burst his eardrum, and those of the rest too, Draco so startled and terrified he severely flinched and dropped to the floor. Seeing the supposed Scion of green react that way would have made the two Gryffindor boys' eyebrows raise had they themselves not been shaken by the screech. They barely glanced at each other before sprinting to the window overlooking the whopping willow, the source of the sound, and search frantically for whoever made it. They were perplexed as to why a herd of Dementors were flying away across the hills, trailing behind a black blur- Dean thought he saw a black dog, but may have been mistaken. Maybe that scream shook up his head more than he thought.

* * *

"-Mione No!" She sprung up with a scream that ripped from her thoat so suddenly that the hand placing a wet cloth on her forehead retracted as if it had been electrified.

"A-ah!" The ravenclaw nearly fell off her chair, looking at Daphne like she had grown a second head. And Daphne was starting to look at her like she looks at her pumpkin pie during dinner. Or her viola: a bit too fondly.

"Ch-Cho!" She lunged up to squeeze the girl's lungs with a huge hug, never more relieved to inhale the faint smell of vanilla mixed with old parchment more than now.

"Easy there, tiger! What's with the sudden affection?"

"…Sorry." She eventually loosened the hug, relieved that Cho had at least returned her hug .

"No, don't worry, I liked it, just… unexpected. Why were you yelling for Hermione, Daphne?"

"What do you mean- Mione, where is she!? I had a dreadful nightmare of a hulking black grim, a beastly hound attacking us and- and I saw her and she- she was dying, Cho… I had never been more relieved to know it was a nightmare-"

"Wow you must've hit your head hard. Hermione just went to get you some of your favorite hot chocolate. You know, the one that gets you through migraines or when you attempt a spell and it backfires on you as usual-"

She ignored all the words coming out of Cho's mouth after the girl said hot chocolate. This, didn't make much sense. She then looked around while the Ravenclaw kept talking.

How did she end up in the Ravenclaw common room? The comfortable couch that she began to sink in, the soothing atmosphere of the room lulling her into a false state of ease- she should be more alarmed, she isn't supposed to be here- what- why is this happening? Yet, she didn't react abruptly- no jumping out of her seat or that sort of impulsiveness. Her mind felt stuffed with cotton.

She glanced on the table, seeing four sets of homework, potions essays due Monday. On- liquid luck? Was that part of their of their curriculum?

They had, hadn't they? This must be another dream. What the hell? Why wasn't she snapping out of it!?

"This isn't real."

"And Harry should be here with Natsu any- what?"

"This, the room, you- I'm still dreaming, there's no way it's real. I mean- Hermione, Hermione!" The girl in question entered the room with four hot chocolates with her usual levitating ease.

"What's up?"

"How-how are you here? What's going on!? Why aren't we in the shrieking shack!? But wait, you're okay!" She was at the brunette's side so fast it felt like she apparated. Patting a confused Hermione's arms before hastily hugging her and holding the brunette's face with intense confusion.

Has she grown taller or was her mind playing tricks on her? Her hair was longer than she remembered.

"yes… I am? Daph, love, you alright? I could get you to Madame Pomfrey if you feel light headed."

"Love? Wha-no I'm fine- and how is it you would suggest madame Pomfrey, you can't get ten feet near her without sizzling like a campfire"

"Your face is a bit red though- you're sure you haven't come down with a fever? " She gently grabbed a hold of Daphne's face and brought their foreheads in contact with each other, a light frown marring her face.

Although Daphne did feel herself getting a bit redder. What's with Hermione today!? And why was she even embarrassed?

"Not sure what's wrong with her, Mione. Looks like she had a nasty nightmare that shook her up. A lot like the ones Harry has, but at least his are PG rated-"

"Good thing I got all of us your favorite beverage, eh?" She joked and guided the perplexed blonde back to the couch in between the two other girls who acted as if there was nothing wrong.

'There's definitely something up… I mean… the whole thing- the duel… I didn't dream that up right?'

"What duel?"

"Us two battling! Don't you remember being mad at me?"

"You'll have to be more specific dear- it's happened more than once- Never to the point of duelling though, surprisingly."

"D-dear? What is it with these petnames… snap out of it greengrass…" She slapped her cheeks a couple of times for good measures, irked with the confusion of this limbo dream state. Even though everything she touched felt so-

"So we're alright then?" She spoke softly, hesitant with her words. If this really was happening, or even if not, she may as well enjoy the peace of the situation.

"Judging by the hot chocolate I figured we would be." Hermione teased her, lightly patting her head before handing her a cup.

It was just as the three clinked their cups when she felt the dreariness in her mind accumulate, clouding her vision again.

"It was real... wasn't it?"

* * *

"No!" Harry and Cho had never heard Remus yell so loudly nor cast spells with such urgency until that moment. He somehow 'expelliarmus' ed the huge black dog looming over Hermione and a woman of disheveled appearance to the wall of the shack with such force cracks of the wood were heard.

He couldn't have rushed faster to his fallen student, yelling at Harry and Cho to take Daphne away while he carried Hermione out with speed inhuman, even for one pumped with adrenalin in their veins. They needn't be told, for they were already levitating their friend off the floor, Harry turning back and casting the dog one last shocked look, the shock, replaced by recognition. Before Cho grabbed him and dragged him out.

"Cho- wait that's that's Sirius! That's my godfather! I have to get him back-"

"harry they're getting back up- run!"

"But Cho-"

"Harry get out now!"

Lupin practically grabbed the boy and threw him outside by his robes before casting a bombarda that collapsed the entrance to the shack, sealing the two occupants inside.

Harry couldn't raise a peep of objection as he landed on the floor in a breathless heap, the only one who was motionless. Lupin had not stopped, casting a patronus and then immediately tending to the fallen Gryffindor, wincing at the nasty gashes on her arm, below her neck and a risky one across her left eye that sent rivulets flowing down across the left side of her face and onto the grass. She could be as good as blinded from her left eye. Her panting indication she depended on magically enhanced strength to hold off the vicious hound's relentless biting and scratching. If he had been a few seconds later…

'Why, Sirius!? Why try to take a life, Damn it? And then, her…'

"Professor Lupin, she isn't waking up!"

"Don't. We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey first. Just check for any external injuries-"

"She has none sir, but what about Hermione-"

"She'll be fine, the gashes aren't deep, thankfully, no worries, it looks worst than it is, a week of recovery and she'll be out without a blemish." He spoke from experience, after all.

Speaking of which, he felt a twinge in his chest. A familiar one that made his stomach sink. No. Not now, any time but now! He looked up to the moon- the full moon- his face paling as much as that accursed planet's color, and looked back at Cho.

"Harry get up! Take Hermione and run back to the castle- Don't look back and don't ask questions, I'll answer them later- go now! I need to hold them of- gg adh"

"P-professor!" He worriedly, rushed to the man who doubled over in intense pain, but was pushed away roughly.

"G-go! Now!" He growled out, imploring Harry to flee with the girl. Cho already levitated her Slytherin companion, waiting for Harry to do the same.

He heard noise from inside the shack, the noise of someone about to break out, but Harry couldn't move. He saw Sirius! Why did Lupin do that!? And then there was Hermione, he had to get her help, but he froze. He couldn't take his eyes off his professor suddenly writhing on the ground in agony and blanched, panic rattling his bones.

Too many things were happening at once- what was he to do? He felt a hand pulling him back by the robes- the scent- it was Cho yelling to follow her. She had already taken care of levitating Daphne besides Hermione and was halfway to the castle. Why did his legs feel like lead? Move Harry- damn it. He just- he couldn't tear his eyes away from the gruesome yet fascinating way the man he knew as his best DADA instructor so far morphed into a grotesque werewolf, howling in agony as his back cracked and limbs arched and stretched, tearing through the fabric of his worn-out clothes. He bet the other three would stare in fascination too if two weren't passed out and one wasn't tripping over herself levitating them to safety.

Though with his huge roar, the other three would already have been gone, which is exactly what he should be doing. But he didn't.

"Sh-shit-" He daren't speak higher than a whisper, starting to shakily pace away, nor daring to look away from the creature looking wildly left and right, its head swivelling as if drunkenly, tongue lulling out. He was sniffing for something, specifically towards the shack whose entrance he all but sealed off- though Harry did hear some thumping and muffled yells. He preferred not to think what was going on inside if he were to survive the night unencumbered by chilling nightmares for months to come.

For once a voice inside whispered- perhaps it was the voice of reason he always hoped existed within his impulsive self- and instructed him to slowly move away, if he wanted to live trough this.

'At least he's distracted by the racket inside. Easy does it Harry, back away, slowly, and no one gets hurt. I need to be there for the girls… But, Sirius… No! I won't risk it! Not like I risked Hermione's life the last time I forced her to break into the vaults with me.'

That, and, no matter how much he yearned for his Godfather, seeing Sirius try to claw his best friend's eyes out wasn't the best of first impressions. He'll deal with that later-

His attempted sneak away was foiled by a tree branch cracking- in a comically loud fashion. Within a split second, the werewolf's ears perked up and he turned his auburn head to glare right at Harry. He snarled at the paling boy, revealing his sharp yellowed canines and promptly turning the boy-who-lived into the-boy-about-to-shit-his-pants.

Now was as good to flee, tail tucked between his legs- pun intended.

"Expelliarmus! The spell repelled him a few meters back and allowed Harry time to propel himself towards the train terminal. There was no way he was leading a werewolf to the castle- and to dementors! It might be a werewolf now but Remus Lupin might be somewhere inside- he had to save him! He really wished Cho was here to guide him through this confusing time as any to run.

'Harry Run Harry Run Harry RUN!' The voice inside him kept hollering, and for once he finally did as it told him. His legs carried him down the hill into the forbidden forest and he weaved through the trees in zig zag formation, not daring to look back. Hearing the growls approaching were motivation enough for him to increase his pace. He frantically cast the spell to speed his pace like Hermione had shown him once, and didn't stop until he reached a lake- there he saw thestrals and was surprised enough to see those creatures for the first time ever that he tripped over his two feet, plummeting roughly before turning around and looking terrified as the rabid creature rushed towards his spot.

He figured now was a good time as any to say his prayers and hope he joined his mother and father soon.

He wanted to screw his eyes shut, but the voice inside refused to quiet. It now sang a different tune, and it went

'fight, Harry, FIGHT!'

And Harry didn't know how- rather didn't want to- it was still Lupin, but he knew if he threw down the wand like this, Cho would never let him hear the end of it. Grasping his wand in a death grip, he cast a protego with all the confidence his spirit could muster.

'PROTEGO!' He doubted it mattered at this point whether he yelled or whispered- he couldn't really find his voice to say much, but his magic had his back. The shield materialised just in time for the werewolf to collide into it and bounce back to the floor, shaking off the rough collision. Fortunately luck was on Harry's side and the thestrals crowded around the wolf, blocking him at least momentarily from Harry, who looked around for a way to keep running, despite the burning protest of his leg muscles.

Somehow, luck again responded to his silent pleas, for despite the thestrals fleeing, and just as the now maddened and scratched up werewolf was about to have Harry as his next meal with just one pounce, a black blur barreled into it out of nowhere, both rolling into the water in horribly loud splashing, grunting and growling. This black creature, a huge dog, bit into Lupin's shoulder, causing the wolf to release a pained howl. Attempting to swat away the dog that now climbed onto its back, scratching and biting like the larger creature was a marinated piece of steak.

That dog- a black grim!

"S-sirius!" His godfather came! He came to his rescue! But how!? He thought they were in that shack- he- he was sure he saw her trying to kill Hermione!? Why is this happening now!?

More importantly, he must help Sirius; Lupin was beginning to get the upper hand in their scuffle.


	10. Chapter 10

The grim and the wolf were rolling around, ferociously growling and relentlessly biting at each other in a heap of furry limbs and tails. From Harry's vantage point a bit of a ways from the scuffle, on the other side of the lake, neither would have the upper hand for a while, for what Remus had in size, Sirius made up for in ferociousness and sheer conscious will-power of his human side. To protect Harry.

The boy was unaware of all the multitude of thoughts that ran through his Godfather's head, only that he blacked out for so long, and to have Harry's green eyes, the same shade of Lily's be the first thing he sees to wake up. It didn't matter how he was there- in that cottage with his dreadful and belligerent cousin, he knew he would bite away at the wood until he was out. He just hopes, in the back of his mind, that Bellatrix would stay down in the shack.

Meanwhile Harry may not have known much of who to help and who in the blazes to hex. Cho would advise him to get a professor- McGonagall or Dumbledore- even Snape might have been nice to have around, as much as he grimaced thinking it. His need turned more urgent at the sight of approaching dementors.

He groaned and had wished he was focusing more when Lupin coached him on the patronus spell, after all those attacks specifically on his person by the wraith-like abominations.

He muttered a quick prayer to whoever was listening to him out there and gripped his wand, hoping the mental link with his friends would somehow give him the strength to face the approaching hoard. Merlin help him. He could already hear those screams- the screams of his mother, followed by an unbearable, agonized screech. He blocked it out, perhaps with the help of adrenalin to boost his shields.

Ignoring his trembling limbs, he struggled to lift his wand at eye level, and the spell left his quaking lips with such little confidence a bare white wisp appeared as fast as it was blown away by the biting winds.

He yelled in pain as one of the dementors got too close and started sucking away at his soul.

Come on Harry- focus!

Cho- Cho would murder me if i died- that doesn't make sense at all, but just- he cast it again, harder, trying to stir more intensely, the feeling of the moments that made him happy. It worked, when he started thinking about Cho, and then Daphne and Mione, back when they met, when they laughed together, feasted together, cried and fought and bled together. Rose and fell together-

And yet.

That first year.

Wasn't it the mirror of Erised showing him his true desire- his true happiness? Him and his parents, his family? He cast harder, the spell faltering when his mind strayed away from his friends, and he grunted, struggling to remain upright as the monsters circled him. Out of the corner of his darkening vision. he saw Sirius barking at him panicked- Remus nevertheless hadn't given him reprieve and kept clawing and biting at the tiring grim

"Sirius no! Ah!" At this rate, he wouldn't hold on much longer.

'Hang on Harry!' Cho! She was there- there with him. He can't let her, let them down! He had to save Sirius, his family.

Family. What is family? It was the people who make him feel at home, himself, provide emotionally and mentally more than he realised he would ever need. The support, the reason to keep on going. The people he needed to never let down, or so help him. Hermione. Daphne. Cho. Ron. Ron, his wake-up call when he retreated into himself, back to the solitary lifestyle he was forced into at the Dursleys.

Ron, who dragged him to mandatory quidditch breaks and chess games.

Ron, who stood by him while his reputation is dragged through the mud.

Ron, who stayed up late at his side, as they told each other anecdotes while sneaking in chocolate frogs, till day break.

Ron, who made him feel more like a normal boy when he needed it the most.

He was as much family as the three girls who gave him a place to belong, as himself, a pianist, a student striving to succeed and fit in, to make a family. The Weasleys, Dumbledore. His mentor and guide.

This time, he had the image of them standing by him, of him and the three girls playing together on a brightly lit stage. With that image playing over again in his head, all else faded to white. His body moved on its own, lips yelling out the spell. A white light spurred out of his wand so brightly, the wolf and hound stopped fighting, suddenly blinded by the flash of white. The dementors were all but propelled away with agonized screeches- one or two even burned, their robes floating to the floor in tatters, in remains of darkness. The rest fled far beyond even Hogsmeade with the magnitude and radius of the spell cast. The last thing Harry saw as he was bathed in white, was a stag chasing away some of the wraiths left behind. The rest was history as he collapsed to the floor like a puppet freed from its strings.

It was like that that professors Snape and McGonagall found the boy along with a scratched up werewolf and big grim dog passed out at his side.

"Oh my…"

"What is that black mongrel doing here…" His wand was already inching out of his holster when Minerva glared at the vindictive man, one look from her sending him a message loud and clear that now was not the time for past squabbles. He- very reluctantly- conceded, helping the fierce transfiguration teacher levitate the three on their way to the hospital wing, Severus standing at least five feet away from Sirius.

"I don't know what happened, but I just thank merlin they're all safe... I was worried we were too late, what with helping Miss Granger and Greengrass through that ordeal."

"I always told you that beast has no control- and this time is no different, Minerva, no matter how much you want to turn a blind eye to your precious little cubs who do no wrong-"

"We will discuss this in my office. Focus on saving the boy." Now was the worst time for his petulant outburst.

* * *

Early morning rays awakened nature's flora and fauna, the majestic scene sure to mystify any who ventured in the august castle's garden. The squirrels were jumping around, the birds chirped gaily, and the owls hooted and ruffled their feathers in the owlery, preparing to sleep after a long night's hunt. The river squid swam in circles, waking up as the rays of sun seeped into the water in scattered particles. It was a gentle awakening.

And certainly, no end of semester morning would be complete without a certain voice moaning in agony and utter displeasure, said childish voice echoing across the fields and forest, some animals stopping in their movements, perplexed.

"No! No, no no! Absolutely not!"

"Her-"

"No! I refuse!"

"Hermione come on-"

"I'm not listening! Lalalalalalalala-"

"Hermione Jean Granger! Shut up and just take the damn medicine before I throw the damn thing-"

"make me."

"You little chit you asked for it!" Daphne, as per usual grumpy and in great need of sleep in the mornings hopped from her bed, catching the stubborn brunette by surprise as she jumped onto said student's bed, vial in hand, giving Hermione no escape as she straddled her, vial in hand, staring her down.

Hermione, as stubborn as Godrick himself, stared up with the same stubbornness with her one good eye that wasn't wrapped in gauze, refusing to open her mouth a millimeter.

"You know I can just use magic. But I won't, because I'm nice." Daphne spoke condescendingly, hoping to draw out the Gryffindor to open her mouth in retort.

While Hermione chortled at the 'nice' statement, she did wisely to keep her mouth shut.

"Okay, final chance."

They stared each other down, Daphne finally growling and looking away in frustration.

"You leave me no choice then!"

Her one free hand darted like a cobra to Hermione's neck. And it was then, a split second from it happening, when Hermione knew deep inside it was far too late to escape the torture, that she attempted to negotiate a peace.

"Okay wait no- hahahahha" How convenient that Hermione was in fact, ridiculously ticklish. Daphne giggled to herself, not content with stopping just yet. It was hilarious to see Hermione looking mad while laughing like a gasping walrus at the same time. How she wished she had a muggle camera to picture this wonderful moment and frame it on their practice room wall.

"I- hahahah- I concede- haha- s-top i-hahah"

"Alright, hahaha." Daphne opened the vial when the infirmary doors opened, revealing Sirius, Harry, Cho and Madame Pomfrey standing at the doorway in mid-pace.

It was Sirius who opened his mouth first with a sly smile.

"Are we interrupting something here?"

"For Merlin's sake Sirius they're thirteen!"

"I'm just joking Minerva-"

"It's still Professor McGonagall to you, Mr. Black." With her fiercest glare, Sirius's ragged face turned as embarrassed as it could have, had Sirius Black had any sense of preservation, that is.

"Fine then, McMinniegonagall." He chanted under his breath, smiling impishly and looking anywhere but the miffed professor as Harry snickered.

"I for one am a little surprised to see someone imprisoned for 10 years be so jovial." Daphne interjected, off the bed smoothing out the creases on her hospital gown, full medicine vial in hand.

"Having a full meal, a la Hogwarts, can do that for you." Nurse Pomfrey interrupted as she walked in, her eyes falling first pointedly on Hermione, who shrunk into her bed sheets and pulled as much as she could over her head with her bushy hair barely hiding under, knowing exactly what the medic was about to say.

"I see Ms Granger still hasn't taken her medicine."

"Oh, I'm right on that Madame Pomfrey, no worries." Daphne smirked the trademark Slytherin way that had Sirius surprisingly snort.

"Seems like the young ones are an entirely different breed compared to my time. I bet Malfoy's kid would still be a tosser though." He grumbled the last part to himself, through didn't miss the scowl that crossed not only Daphne's face, but Hermione's and Harry's too.

'What is that supposed to mean…?' He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, looking outside to his left at the cold reception to his quip.

"I believe I'm doing just fine, Madame Pomfrey, no need to tend to me, promise! In fact, let me just go ahead and change and head to classes, yes?" She quipped in with nervous pep, trying to slip out of the damned ward she's been in far too often now. Daphne mentally noticed Hermione was antsier than usual after waking up.

"You will do no such thing young lady. Besides, it's the weekend."

"Wait, really? How long have we been out?"

"Not too long- two days I believe." Hermione'd expression revealed nothing, and Sirius was curious as to what constituted as 'long' period for the bushy haired girl. Daphne quirked an eyebrow. She thought the brunette would look impressed or laugh it off. What's got her thinking so intensely? She turned back to Sirius.

"I don't mean to sound rude, Mr. Black, but how is it that you're freely walking around?"

"Not completely. I'm technically under Minnie's custody for the moment. But hopefully in due time, I will be a free man. And that is something I have these two little Gryffindors to thank. Mainly what you managed to find at the vaults in the second year. I had thought that parchment would never see the light, and with Pettigrew scurried off the face of the earth, well… I believed I'd have to be on the run my entire life." His joviality receded for a moment, and the gratefulness and love that shone on his face when he looked at Harry, not Lily, not James, but Harry, made the latter feel all the effort and mischief he'd committed to be more than worth it. It humbled him to see so much genuine love and trust from someone who hadn't even known him for so long, for someone who was such close friends with his parents he'd longed to know anything of. He swore to thank Hermione properly for going with him that day to the vaults. Keeping himself from crying, he tried to shrug it off.

"It wasn't much, just had to break into the most guarded bank in the world with time travel is all-" Before Sirius had the chance to bark out in laughter, Minerva sharply turned toward Hermione.

"You did WHAT young lady!?"

"Oh bugger me-" Minerva's yell pulled the girl out of her reverie in a most unpleasant manner, but comical for those watching.

"Hermione Jean Granger!"

'This was going to be an interesting recovery period.'

"So your hearing is tomorrow. This will be the final one, right? And then you're free, right?"

"I hope so Harry, I sincerely do. Imperio may not be traced, but memory cannot be easily fooled, thank Merlin. Thanks to those three clever friends of yours, I won't be a mad dog on the run any time soon." He smiled uncertainly, tentative hope gleaming in his world-weary eyes. Until tomorrow, he feared believing in better possibilities, but when he glimpsed at the blatant hope and trust his Godson's eyes, those eyes that reminded him so much of Lily, and face of James, he resolved to hope as they once did, and perhaps do, at least now for others rather than themselves, but their family. For Harry. He'd do it for Harry. And Remus. Someone's got to keep their furry little friend from going retreating into his cave again, too.

* * *

"You haven't been up to date with your homework, Mione. What's wrong? If you have a problem with the concepts, I'll be more than happy to help." The three had taken turns keeping Hermione company throughout the day, hoping she'll start recovering. As far as they knew, her eye had been recovered, safe for a thin scar than ran from the lower tip of her brow to above her cheekbone.

Hermione told them she could see fine, mostly. But she felt that wasn't what bothered her, she felt her thoughts fall flat. Usually Hermione's thoughts- when they became reasonably close, was loud and excited. This felt extinguished, her inner voice.

"I'm just tired, it'll be alright."

"So you don't want to talk about it."

"…" She laid back in her bed, turning away from Cho.

"No, not really. But I did organize the groupings and piece repertoires for the coming weeks, based off the feedback we got from students. I will finish my homework, I promise. I'm just, not in a really great place right now."

"…Alright."

'I won't prod, but if you want to vent, I'm here to listen. You don't have to tell anyone else either.'

'… I appreciate it a lot Cho, thanks. Maybe some sleep will help, I guess.' Hermione seemed to appreciate the silence more, communicating with hushed thoughts and gentle touches Cho would often use to put her friends at ease. Brief shoulder and elbow touches, a pat to the head, and the like. Her thumb was stroking circles on Hermione's hand as she held it gdntly but firmly, giving the conflicted brunette all the time she needed.

'Actually, can we take a walk outside? The gardens look nice this morning.'

'They do, don't they? I'll let Madame Pomfrey know, don't worry, she won't mind.'

The walk may have seemed silent to observers from afar, but any experienced legilimens would say otherwise. They walked from the courtyard down near the outskirts of the forbidden forest where Hagrid's hut and pumpkin patch was located.

'Is this about McGonagall confiscating your time turner?' THe brunette's brief shudder perplexed the Racenclaw.

'No. No, not really. I had that coming since stealing the documents, honestly. Plus, I felt like I was wasting my time, never using it properly or at all since saving Sirius, or, the incident.'

'You saved yours and Daphne's lives, and Sirius's you know.'

'I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, but… I don't know what to focus on anymore. I feel sort of scattered Cho. I'm embarrassed to admit this, because you were right, and I wasted plenty of time just brooding over the fact that Daphne ignored me for the better part of the semester.'

"I want to pretend it's all okay, but I'm really behind on my studies, I don't know what I'm supposed to train on and what weapons to use and how weak I've gotten, how to keep practicing for my concert and manage the club that hasn't even bloody started, and as a cherry on top, I don't know if I can handle her doing that again. She told me why she did it, but now I'm being stupid and worrying that I'll just be thrown aside again, even though I know she didn't mean to do it in a mean fashion… I don't know, it's all too much Cho, I don't know what to do, and I feel drained and tired…' She lamented, burying her head in her hands and knees to hide the prickling of tears at her eyes. The pressure was crushing her ribs and squeezing her lungs and heart like a load of putty.

Cho remained quiet as they sat by the edge of the lake, waiting for Hermione to calm down as she rubbed circles on the smaller girl's back. Feeling her tense muscles relax, she gently pulled Hermione to her side, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"You'll be alright, Hermione. Breathe with me, okay?"

A shaky nod told her she was still with her. Good.

A few more minutes of appeasing silence. Cho almost felt bad about breaking it.

"You've gone through a lot, Hermione. You write it off as no big deal, but anyone else in your situation would be having worse panic attacks. I know you haven't been sleeping properly. Is it related to that night?'

…

"I… yeah. And others too. I don't know, I just… I'm starting to get scared about, well, seriously getting hurt. Even with magic. I honestly thought with magic there's no way I'd die, but- that night. And t-then the one with Voldemort I thought was bad enough, but that night was b-b-bad."

"Yes Bellatrix is a horrid person, it must have been horrible for you to face her like that, unprepared…" Hermione just shook her head, still silent. Cho waited for Hermione to continue, doing her best to keep calm, and a steady heartbeat. She needed to keep Hermione from breaking down, but she couldn't help feel antsy at the nearly palpable dread weighing down Hermione's shoulders.

"D-did Daphne tell you? What she thought she saw, the first time she woke up?"

"… She didn't, no."

"She saw me bleeding out, Cho. She thinks it was just a dream. I-it might as well be by now. I messed with the time turner in a weird way, C-Cho. I don't think I'm supposed to be here now."

"What do you mean?" Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help letting worry seep into her voice, eyes widening slightly. She held onto Hermione's shoulders slightly tighter, unconsciously worried the girl will simply disappear.

"I supercharged the time turner… I used every bit of magic I had and pushed back that moment with the alternative moments closest to it far back enough that I could react fast enough to Sirius… I-I saw myself die Cho- I-…." She took a shuddering breath, staring into her ghastly expression in the murky waters, and stopped. She looked up at Cho, desperately searching for answers, fearful that she had tampered with the forbidden. That all she had would slip away from her hands.

"…You did what?"


End file.
